


The Truth About Lies

by foxy11814



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Family Secrets, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-01-03 02:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 35,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1064865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxy11814/pseuds/foxy11814
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor knew his father had kept secrets from Loki. Supposedly, he had done it for Loki's own good, but now Thor knows how his brother felt. Loki's parentage isn't the only family secret Odin has kept over the years. He has one or two about Thor as well, and now they're coming to light.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer and Notes: I'm tackling a subject that has been addressed in Marvel comics, but I will go ahead and admit I'm doing it differently. That's all I'll say for now, haha.

For the purposes of my story, let's assume Thor had already discovered that Loki was pretending to be Odin and rescued him. Loki is now on the run and this all takes place shortly after "Thor 2: The Dark World".

* * *

**The Truth About Lies**

Throughout his life, grief had been one of those words he rarely experienced. He would not say that his life had been without strife, far from it actually. For years, he, the Warriors Three, and Sif had traveled the Nine Realms to help others whenever they were in need. Foolishly, he had once considered those occasions a merry good time, but now he considered it an obligation, a duty. And, it was one he took very seriously.

Grief had helped him to make that change in his life. Grief of a brother's loss.

Thor closed his eyes as he remembered Loki letting go of Mjölnir and falling into the great void. He had believed his brother to be dead, and he had grieved. He had been so unaccustomed to it that he hadn't known how to handle it. At first, it had kept him isolated from his family and friends. He had partially blamed himself for Loki's demise. After all, if he had never disobeyed his father and gone to Jotunheim, Loki might not have ever discovered that he was a Frost Giant. If that had never happened, maybe Loki would not have been so determined to prove himself a son of the All-Father. Maybe he wouldn't have been so determined to become the King of Asgard, to show all the realms that he belonged here.

Of course, he didn't know then and he didn't know now if that were truly his brother's motivations. He honestly didn't understand Loki at times, even when they were children. That's why he was known as the God of Mischief, he supposed. Loki loved to cause trouble and no one knew why most times…not even their father.

Despite this flaw and the chaos that his brother had caused, Thor had grieved for him. He had missed him. He believed at that time that it would be impossible for him to ever feel that bad again…but life had a habit now of proving him wrong.

He now grieved the loss of his mother. And, worst yet, he knew for certain that Frigga's death was partially his fault. He had brought Jane Foster to Asgard; he had unwittingly summoned enemies to their home. And, his mother died protecting Jane. It was a noble death—he knew his mother was now in Valhalla, but that didn't make it any easier.

He stood at the railing on a balcony and looked out across Asgard. It looked as it always had despite the recent battles, but he knew it wasn't the same. It never would be ever again.

He turned around to go inside with a sigh and saw Sif leaning on the frame of the entrance.

"Are you all right, Thor?" she asked. Despite her being as tough as nails and one of the best warriors around, she always had a habit of worrying about him, especially after everything that had happened recently.

"Of course, my friend," he replied, squeezing her shoulder lightly as he passed by.

"I can never tell anymore," she said, turning around to look at him. "I know that you miss your mother. I do, too, but you can't stop living. She wouldn't want that for you."

"Who said I have stopped living?" Thor asked. He sounded almost a little offended. "I still help to protect the Nine Realms. I go and make merry with you, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg almost every afternoon." He then smiled and said, "Stop worrying, Sif. I'm fine."

Before she could say anything else, he turned around and walked away. The smile he had plastered on his face faded away as quickly as it had come.

=)=)=)

Thor was on his way to his bedchambers when he heard a resounding "NO" echo through the corridors of the palace. He knew that voice anywhere. It was his father, and he could tell that he was angry. Very angry. Thor stopped for a moment to see if he could figure out what was wrong, but all he could hear now was continuous muffles. Curious, he crept to the nearby council chamber and peeked inside through the cracked door.

Odin was inside with a woman he had never seen before. She was dressed in a dark green gown that went all the way to the floor, and her dark black hair hung loosely and wildly about her shoulders. She looked strange despite her beauty, so unlike the people here, so Thor knew she was not from Asgard.

"Why not?" he heard the woman ask testily. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Odin.

"It is not your place to question why! We made an agreement many years ago and I expect you to keep it!"

Thor was surprised to see his father's skin redden significantly. It seemed as though he was getting angrier and angrier by the second. He was on the verge of exploding, and for once, Thor was grateful it was not at him or Loki. He watched with interest as the woman glared at Odin and seemed unintimidated. That was new. Usually people backed off when the All-Father showed hostility, but this woman showed no fear at all.

"I could help him!" she replied insistently. "He is so depressed and lost! He doesn't know what to do now or how to feel. Don't you want to help him?"

"Of course I do," Odin snapped, "but replacing Frigga is not the way to go about it, Gaea!"

The woman threw her hands out exasperatedly and announced, "I do not want to replace her! I merely want to tell him the truth!"

"No! He is not ready to hear it! He never will be! Despite what you think, I know what is best for him and this is not it!" Odin shook his head for a moment and added, "I think it's time for you to leave."

Gaea didn't move. She folded her arms across her chest and replied, "Thor deserves to know the truth. He needs to understand who he really is! This would tell him so many things about himself! It would answer questions that others and he, himself, ask all the time! Why is he so obsessed with Midgard and its people? Why is he so protective of them? Why does he feel the need to go there all the time? You know as well as I do the answer to these questions, and yet, you've never told him."

"And, I have no intention of telling him," Odin snapped. "This discussion is over. There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind."

"But…"

He glared at her irately and snapped, "If you do not leave now, I will call my Guard to escort you away, and you may not like where you go."

She cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you and your Guard?" She cast a look towards the door and Thor immediately stepped back. He wondered if she had seen him. He chanced a peek again and saw that she was looking at Odin once more and speaking. "But I will leave for now. Just know that this isn't over."

"Yes, it is," Odin replied. He turned his back on Gaea as she started to walk away.

Thor ran hurriedly down the corridor. He didn't want his father or the lady to know he had been eavesdropping on their conversation. When he turned the corner down another passageway, he leaned against the wall and contemplated what he had just heard. He didn't know what to think. It was obvious this Gaea and his father were talking about him. There was something she wanted to tell him that Odin did not want known. He wondered what it could be and if he really wanted to know. Before he could even contemplate an answer to that question, Gaea turned the corner and smiled at him.

He stood straight and waited for the woman to disobey Odin by speaking to him. Instead, she kept walking, but she did reach out for his hand. It could hardly be called a handshake at all, but as she slipped her hand away, he realized she was handing him a small piece of paper. He met her eyes as she looked back at him while she continued to walk away. She winked at him before turning down another corridor.

Thor looked down at the paper and unfolded it slowly. There were only four words on it:

_Midgard. I'll find you._

* * *

_Well, I must tell you that when I write chapter fics, usually each chapter is longer than this, BUT I wanted to test the waters and see if anyone is interested in this story. Plus, I thought that was a good place to stop. Let me know what you think, please! =)_


	2. Chapter 2

I _just wanted to say thank you to those of you who commented, "favorited", or "followed" this story! I'm glad some of you want to join me for the ride. I hope you continue to enjoy this._

* * *

 

The Truth About Lies Chapter 2

Moments like this showed Thor how much Asgard had changed. Moments like this made him realize how much he missed and would continue to miss both his mother and Loki.

" _Midgard. I'll find you._ "

Such a simple message and yet so cryptic. Simple, because he knew Gaea wanted to meet with him in Midgard to discuss whatever was on her mind that his father didn't want him to know. Cryptic, because he didn't know how in the world she was going to pull off the task of finding him when he went. She didn't say when he should go or where they should meet. It simply said she would find him. That seemed like an incredible task since Midgard was a rather large realm with many, many people inhabiting it.

This, more than anything, made him want to find out more about Gaea. It seemed to him that the message meant she could and would find him no matter where he went and at any time. This implied that she was a powerful and an intelligent woman. Of course, her attitude and defiance in front of the All-Father had told him that much. He wanted to know more before actually meeting her.

And, it was that desire which made him feel the absence of his mother and brother more keenly at that moment. In the past when he had questions about what his father was doing, his mother and Loki were precisely the people he went to. He had always gone to his mother first, because it was the more acceptable way to get the information. If it wasn't a big deal, generally she would tell him everything he wanted to know, but sometimes it was a big deal and she wouldn't say a word. That's when he would go to Loki.

He didn't care what anyone would say in reply if they heard him say it aloud; he'd stick by it: sometimes there were perks to having the "God of Mischief" as a brother. Loki's tricks and sneakiness were the very things that made him a problem, but they were the very qualities that made him an asset, as well. If someone was keeping a secret and Loki knew he or she had one, he would do anything he could to find out what it was, and usually he would succeed.

But he didn't have either option now. The only thing he could do besides blindly meet with Gaea was to simply ask his father who she was. He had to establish a new way of getting information in this "new Asgard" and he might as well try it the correct way first. Something told him, though, that it wouldn't work.

=)=)=)

Knocking lightly on the door, Thor stepped into the conference room. His father was still there, standing in the middle of the room, which was the same place where he had turned away from Gaea. Had he really been standing in that one spot this long?

"Father?" he questioned, stepping into the room.

Odin turned around at the sound of the knock and his son's voice. He smiled lightly and remarked, "So, you've decided to join civilization once again."

Thor grimaced at his father's words but didn't reply. He knew he deserved the comment a little. While he did hang out with his friends almost every afternoon, he did spend a lot more time alone nowadays than he used to. For a little over a thousand years, he had the reputation of being the life of the party. That had only changed recently, so maybe people considered the change proof that he was depressed. Maybe he was a little—he would admit that.

"How are you feeling, son?" Odin asked as Thor closed the distance between them.

"I'm good," he replied. "The Nine Realms are finally calming down. Everything is…" He trailed off. He had almost stated that everything was going back to normal, but that was one thing it was most emphatically not doing. Trying to finish the statement when he noticed that his father was still looking at him expectantly, he mumbled, "…good."

Odin nodded, slowly. "That's good to hear."

He nodded, as well, in reply.

"How is Jane doing?"

He almost winced at the question. Jane was still a touchy subject between them. First, his father didn't approve of Jane because she wasn't an Asgardian. Then, there was the fact that Frigga died protecting her… Jane most definitely was not on the top of Odin's list of favorable companions for his son. Despite this, he answered carefully, "She is doing well. She is still working with S.H.I.E.L.D. and doing brilliant work for Midgard. With her help, I believe the humans will eventually become great allies in protecting the other realms…"

Odin tilted his head downward and mumbled, "If they can stop fighting amongst themselves." He looked up at his son. "I doubt that will occur anytime soon."

Thor shrugged. "There is always hope." Both father and son stood there silently for a few moments before Thor finally had enough. "There was a woman here earlier," he stated abruptly, looking at his father expectantly. He watched as Odin's eyes narrowed. "I've never seen her before. Is she a diplomat from one of the realms?"

Odin remained quiet for several long moments. Just when Thor thought his father might never answer, he replied, "Not exactly. She's someone I knew before you were born."

Thor widened his eyes. "She looks so young! I mean, for someone who has been around that long."

Odin shrugged. "Some people age well," he replied cryptically.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he asked, "Who is she? And, where is she from? Is she friend or foe?"

This made Odin snap his head towards him. "Why do you ask? Why are you so interested?"

He could hear the suspicion layered in his father's voice. "I'm just curious. Like I said, I've never seen her here before and she seemed to be…royalty?" He said the last word questioningly.

Odin sighed and answered, "She is royalty in a way. Her name is Jord."

He frowned at his father. "Jord?" he repeated incredulously before he could stop himself.

"Why the surprise?" Odin asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Knowing that his father was on the verge of finding out that he already knew her name was "Gaea" and not "Jord," he explained, "It seems like an odd name for such a…beautiful woman."

Odin flinched. Before Thor could say anything else, his father said, "I want you to stay away from Jord. You asked if she is friend or foe. She is neither and I mean to keep her that way. This is not negotiable. I tolerate your dalliances with Jane Foster, but I will not allow anyone—you, especially—to invite Jord into our lives."

Gaping at his father, he responded, "I was just asking..."

"I know you, Thor!" Odin snapped, interrupting him. "You're interested in her for some reason and I'm telling you now to leave this one alone. I do not want you mentioning her again. She won't be coming to Asgard any more, I assure you, so forget about her." When he finished speaking, he walked to the door and called over his shoulder, "It's almost time for dinner. I assume I will see you there."

Thor nodded slowly and replied, "You will."

Odin kept walking and closed the conference room door when he stepped out into the hall, effectively putting a stop to their discussion.

Thor stood there and stared at the door disbelievingly. First, his father had lied to him about Gaea's name; and then, he left the room to avoid answering anymore questions. Thor didn't know what was going on, but he was determined to find out.

* * *

 

_Sorry that this is another short chapter. I wanted to get more written but going back to work after the holiday break has made things busy. Despite the brevity, I hope you enjoyed it!_

 


	3. Chapter 3

The Truth About Lies Chapter 3

Thor walked out of the council chamber and began to head back to his bedroom to put on his armor. Now that he knew his father had no intention of telling him anything about Gaea, he was determined to find out more than ever. And, he knew the only way to make that happen was to go to Midgard and meet with her.

As soon as he walked into his room, however, he heard a voice that he thought he would never hear again in Asgard.

"Well, it's good to see that some things never change. Odin certainly loves his secrets."

Thor turned in circles to try to spot his visitor. "Show yourself, brother," he stated firmly when he realized his search was pointless. Loki wouldn't be seen unless he wanted to be.

Loki laughed and asked, "Why should I? You'll simply try to capture me and take me before the All-Father so I can be punished for my supposed crimes."

Thor sat down on his bed and shook his head. "I don't know if I would or not," he mumbled. He looked up at the ceiling and asked, "Brother, I have a question for you: if you had been told at Jotenheim, before you found out who you really were, that the All-Father had kept a secret from you and that it would upset you greatly to know…would you have wanted to know what it was? Would you have chosen to hear it?"

He felt the bed dip. He brought his gaze back down and turned to look beside him. Loki sat there watching him. "I heard what happened in the council chamber a moment ago," his brother replied. "I assume this has something to do Jord."

Thor shook his head almost angrily. "No, it doesn't!" he snapped. "It has everything to do with Gaea!"

"Gaea? Who's Gaea?" Loki looked genuinely confused.

Thor jumped up. "Exactly. Father doesn't know that I know Jord's real name is Gaea! He lied to me!"

Loki grinned and quipped, "Ah, the plot thickens. The Great Odin has told another lie and this time to his favorite son, Thor. Please, continue."

Thor stared at him for several moments before he shook his head and said, "Never mind. I don't know why I even mentioned it. You should leave before I do take you to our father."

Loki sighed and then groaned. "Okay, fine. Yes, I would still want to know."

Thor lifted a brow. "Why? That knowledge destroyed everything," he mumbled.

Loki stood beside his brother and replied, "The truth didn't destroy anything. What destroyed my relationship with Odin was his lies. He could have told me any time throughout the years who I really was, but he didn't. Instead, he chose to string me along like a fool."

"He thought he was protecting you…"

Loki growled, "Do you really believe that? Do you, _brother_?" He spat the last word.

Thor didn't feel like getting into this same old argument with his brother. He ignored the question and said, "I overheard Gaea and Father talking. They were discussing me. She wants to tell me something. She claimed it would tell me why I do the things that I do, such as why I like visiting Midgard, why I love its people, and so forth. Father doesn't want me to hear it. He actually stated I'd never be ready to hear it."

"So, you're asking your estranged brother if you should pursue this?" Loki asked. "I'm not the best person to ask."

He shrugged. "I suppose you're right. I know what Mother would say if she were here."

Loki frowned at the mention of their mother. He tilted his head to the floor and asked, "What's that?"

"She would say that Father has a reason for everything that he does."

Loki huffed a little and grinned a little sarcastically. "Yes, that was her explanation for everything, wasn't it? But that doesn't mean he's always right, now does it? After all, if we had listened to him, your little Midgard girlfriend would have died."

Thor grimaced and countered, "If I had listened to him initially, Jane wouldn't have been here at all and Mother never would have died."

They both got quiet for a moment, but eventually Loki asked, "What are you planning on doing?"

"In regards to you or Gaea?"

"Both, actually."

Thor ran his fingers through his hair and replied, "I'm going to meet with Gaea in Midgard. As for you, I'm going to let you go. Get out of here before someone catches on to the fact that you're in Asgard."

Loki smirked. "What? And miss out on Odin's latest work of fiction? I think not, brother. Do you want company on your trip to Midgard?"

Thor raised his brow questioningly. "Heimdall would see you when we use the Bifrost."

Loki sighed exasperatedly and in a deceitfully depressing manner suggested, "Perhaps, we should go to Midgard my way and avoid Heimdall altogether. Or would you rather have Sif or those other clowns you call friends with you?"

Thor glared at him and snapped, "You do realize, Loki, that the only reason I'm not turning you in is because you helped me when I needed you and that I still consider you my brother…but don't take liberties and make fun of _our_ friends. Don't forget they were once yours, too."

"They were always yours, Thor. Not mine."

Thor stood up abruptly and stated, "Fine. Let's go your way again."

Loki grinned triumphantly and asked, "And, where are we going to meet this Gaea? That determines which way we'll go."

Thor shrugged and replied, "She never gave me a location or time. She just said she'd find me."

"Oh, I like that. A little intrigue," Loki responded. "I think I might like this one more than your scientist, Thor."

He couldn't help but grin at that. "Careful, brother," he replied, "she is just as old, if not older, than our father."

Loki widened his eyes for only a second. "Oh, so I see. I thought you surely liked them young since you're seeing this mortal who is still practically a baby in comparison to your years, but now I see that you like them old, as well. You never can make up your mind, can you?"

He rolled his eyes and he stepped into his closet to change his clothes hurriedly. When they finally left his chambers, Loki changed his appearance into Volstagg, so they could leave the palace together undetected. Thor knew he had to be crazy, running off with Loki to Midgard to meet with Gaea, but he continued on this path anyway.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The Truth About Lies Chapter 4

Thor and Loki walked hurriedly down the palace’s corridors. Thor didn’t know exactly where they were going or how Loki planned on getting them to Earth, but he did know the sooner they got away from the palace the better. It would be less likely that they would get caught if they were away from Odin and his guards. They were almost out one of the side entrances when a sudden voice stopped them.

“Thor!”

They turned around to see Sif jogging towards them.

“Oh, great,” Loki murmured, still disguised as Volstagg. “Here comes your other girlfriend. Really, Thor, this is what happens when you have so many. They’re constantly in the way.”

“Shut up, brother,” he replied softly, glaring at him, before turning back to face Sif.

Once she stood in front of them, she looked at who she thought was Volstagg and asked, “How did you get here so quickly? I thought you were going to stay with the others.”

Loki smirked and replied, “I changed my mind.”

To get her mind off of Volstagg’s presence, Thor quickly grabbed her attention. “Is there something wrong?”

She sighed and said, “No, nothing’s wrong. Your father is wondering what is keeping you so long, though. Apparently, you told him that we would see you at dinner. Everyone is in the dining hall waiting for you to show up.” She looked him up and down for a moment and then rested her eyes on Mjölnir. “But it seems to me that you have other plans. Where are you going?”

Thor knew he had to tell her something, but he didn’t know what. Luckily, he didn’t have to come up with anything because Loki intervened. “We are going to see Heimdall. When you left, a guard told me privately that he wanted to see us.”

Sif looked suspicious and questioned, “And, you need to be dressed for battle to see Heimdall?”

Loki smirked and replied, “When Heimdall sends for us, you know it usually deals with the security of Asgard. I’m sure Thor just wants to be prepared.”

She nodded. “Okay, so why do you think he wants to see us? Do you have any ideas?”

Relieved that she bought Loki’s explanation, Thor replied, “He only wants to see me and Volstagg. You can go back to the dining room and inform the others where we have gone. We will be back soon unless Heimdall sends us somewhere.”

Sif shook her head. “No, I think I’d rather go with you. I’m sure the others would, too. It’s better to be prepared to leave right away instead of having to search for us or having to go alone.”

Thor frowned, but before he could say anything, Loki exclaimed happily, “Yes, you’re probably right. You should go to get the others.”

Thor widened his eyes in surprise. He was about to question him on it when Loki stepped on his foot and pressed down hard as he used his elbow to brush jab him in his side. Thor lurched forward slightly before glaring at his brother.

Sif watched this interaction with interest. She was clearly confused, because while she knew Thor considered them all family, usually only he and Loki would act with such familiarity and lack of concern when it came to etiquette. Thor knew this was why she was scrutinizing them so closely. 

Loki grinned at her calmly and said, “We’ll wait right here while you go to get the others.”

She looked into both of their smiling faces and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can. The others will probably want to grab their weapons, though, so you know that will take several minutes.”

“Good. I mean, that’s fine,” Loki replied. “Hurry and tell them. The sooner they get ready, the sooner we can go and find out what’s going on.”

She looked at Thor one more time before walking away. 

As soon as she was out of hearing distance, Thor turned to him and snapped, “Are you out of your mind?”

“Yes,” Loki said sarcastically, “raving mad! Now, let’s get out of here before they get back!”

The two brothers ran through the door. Once outside, they turned left to go to the back of the palace. Thor had suspected them to go in the opposite direction, so he had to turn around abruptly when he realized Loki was not beside him.

Loki glanced at him as they walked and mumbled, “Not every wisely-chosen road is ahead of you, Thor. Sometimes, it’s behind you.”

=)=)=)

Climbing up a sharp ravine that led from a cave, Thor and Loki found themselves in what appeared to be Midgard. It looked similar to—what had Jane called it?—New Mexico. Once they stood on a flat surface, they looked around and surveyed the area. No one seemed to be around for miles. No signs of civilization were there.

“Why the middle of nowhere, brother?” Thor asked, frowning slightly.

Loki walked ahead of him. “It’s not like we have a lot of options. I thought we’d like to come out some place where people wouldn’t see us right away and draw a lot of attention.”

Thor sighed and replied, “Did you ever think that publicity is how Gaea is going to find me? If she knows about MIdgard, she might know about the Avengers initiative, as well. Maybe she’s counting on being told of my arrival from others.”

Loki shook his head and cocked his lips in what appeared to be distaste. “I sincerely hope not. That would be an unfortunate letdown. I must admit I am very intrigued by the little I know about this Gaea. Anyone who argues with Odin is better than any mere mortal. I think she will find you even if we stayed right here.”

At that moment, an intense wind blew on them and sand brushed against their faces. Both raised their hands to shield their eyes. Slightly ahead of them, they could see something which appeared to be rising from the sand. When they recognized what appeared to be the top of a head, Loki raised his brow and remarked, “I just love it when I’m right.”

They watched the figure rise from the earth and as soon as Thor saw her face, he knew it was her. “Gaea,” he whispered. He noticed from his peripheral vision that Loki had looked at him briefly and started to grin.

When Gaea was completely visible, the wind stopped blowing and everything became as serene as it was a moment ago. Thor stayed where he was, but Loki stepped forward a little and exclaimed, “That was quite an entrance. Gaea, I assume.”

Their visitor merely looked at Loki with a raised eyebrow for a moment before looking at Thor. “I knew you would come,” she stated with a smile. “Once you discovered Earth, you never could stay away for too long.”

Thor finally moved forward with a similar expression to hers and stood beside his brother. “Well, Earth isn’t what appealed to me this time. I came to see you.”

“And, I am glad,” she replied. “How are you doing, Thor?” She stood in front of them and stared at him with warm brown eyes. “I know things have been hard on you since Frigga died. I know you loved her.”

Thor was surprised at the woman’s tone. She sounded like she actually knew him and cared. Even her comment about him never being able to stay away from Earth had unsettled him for that very reason. Despite this, he was determined to remain calm while he figured out what she wanted and if she was a threat of any kind. “Well, she was my mother,” he replied carefully. “As for how I’m doing, I’m…doing well.”

She nodded and tilted her head to the ground. “That’s good.” She looked up and stared at the man Thor had brought with him. Finally acknowledging him, she asked, “Are you going to introduce us, Thor?”

He cleared his throat and furrowed his brow in bewilderment. “I suppose I can, but truly you haven’t even introduced yourself to me.”

She laughed a little. “I suppose I am getting ahead of myself a little. It’s just that I know you were outside the room when Odin and I were speaking, but I suppose we should do this properly.” She extended her hand and stated, “My name is Gaea.”

He held her hand lightly and nodded at her. Awkwardly, he replied, “I’m Thor. This is my brother, Loki.”

Gaea stared at Loki for a few seconds and mumbled, “Ah, Frigga and Odin’s adopted son.”

Both men widened their eyes. “How do you know about that?” Loki asked, sounding slightly angry and surprised.

She shrugged lightly. “Oh, I kept up with what was going on in Asgard. I kept a close watch, especially while the both of you were young.”

Loki cracked an acerbic smile. “You make yourself sound like our secret protector.” He glanced at Thor and continued, “But something tells me you were Thor’s rather than both of ours.”

She nodded her head once in acquiescence to his words. “That may be partially true, Loki, but you getting hurt would have caused Thor pain, so I would have intervened if I had to. Fortunately, I never had to too much.”

“Too much?” Thor questioned. “That means you have.”

“Of course. More times than you might think,” she agreed.

“When and why?”

She shook her head with a sad smile. “Those are the two important questions, especially the last one.”

“Well, why don’t we start with that one first?” Loki suggested.

She nodded and replied, “Very well.” She looked solely at Thor and began. “Many years ago before you were born, Thor, I met your father. We got along reasonably well in the beginning. It wasn’t long, though, before I knew Odin wanted something from me besides friendship. You know how your father is when he wants something:  he gets this odd expression and you can tell he’s thinking about the future and making plans. He did this often while staring at me.” She huffed a little and admitted, “If he hadn’t already been married to Frigga, I would have thought he liked me.” She shook her head and laughed a little. “Eventually, I found out why he was so interested in me, and believe me, I hadn’t seen it coming.”

“What did he want?” both Thor and Loki asked simultaneously.

Gaea turned away from him and looked up at the blue sky. Not a cloud could be seen in any direction, so the sun bared down on them brightly and warmed them. “Odin knew about Earth; he was fascinated by it and me.” She looked back at Thor. “He never had the connection to it that you do, though, obviously. I know he hates Earth now. He hates it because the planet and its people have captured your attention, arguably more than Asgard has…”

Thor shook his head and said, “I wouldn’t say that.”

She grinned and replied, “I know you wouldn’t. You are so loyal to what you love, even the place you consider home.”

Loki squinted his eyes and questioned, “The place he considers home? Are you trying to say that Thor had another home?”

She began to reply when suddenly a loud boom was heard and multiple bright colors surrounded them. They all turned around to see Odin on a white stallion staring down at them. “Thor!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” He looked around and widened his eyes when he saw Loki, but his expression turned into a scowl when he saw Gaea. He snapped his head back to Thor and spat, “I thought I told you to stay away from her. I thought I told you not to speak with her! You always defy me!”

Gaea glared at Odin and spoke firmly. “Actually, I found them as soon as they stepped onto the planet. You know I pay attention when he comes here. There is never a moment when he steps foot on this planet that I don’t know about.” She looked at Thor and winked at him quickly. “Thor came here to talk to his brother. I simply took advantage of their arrival.”

Odin wrinkled his face in anger and stated, “I want you to respect my wishes. I told you to leave my son alone.” He glanced at Loki before looking back at her. “That goes for both of my sons.”

“You are not my…” Loki began but he was cut off.

“Not now, Loki,” Gaea and Odin yelled simultaneously at him.

He took a step back and looked at Thor in amusement. “Gee, I believe these two gets under each other’s skin worse than I do. This is going to be good to watch.”

“Please, brother, like they said, not now,” Thor said, stepping closer to Odin and speaking with him. He wanted to take advantage of this confrontation. “Father,” he called out to get his attention. When Odin looked at him, he suggested, “While we are all here, perhaps we can get everything out on the table. Why don’t you want us to speak? She doesn’t seem to be a threat at all and…”

“We are not going to discuss this right now!” he snapped.

“And, why not?” Gaea interjected. “Oh, I already know. You’re afraid the truth will come out! And, you know what? It should! I told you that in Asgard. I can help Thor with his recent grief. I could help him understand Earth’s importance to him. Hell, this could even help his relationship with his brother.” She smiled ruthlessly as she remarked, “I guess the only person this could potentially hurt is you for keeping it from him for so long.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Odin spat. “And, I refuse to hear it any longer.”

Suddenly, the light brightened and they were travelling through the Bifrost. When they appeared back in Asgard, Thor growled in disapproval. “I wasn’t ready to leave!” he complained. 

“Well, I was,” Odin replied crossly. He looked at Thor for a moment before moving his eyes to his other son. “Welcome back to Asgard, Loki.” 

Thor stepped in front of his brother and glared at his father as he turned to look at his guards that must have been told to wait there for them. Before Odin could give any kind of order or say anything else, another boom was heard and a large light filled the room. Shielding their eyes, they watched as Gaea appeared. When the light dimmed and went away completely, she glowered at the All-Father and stated, “I wasn’t through talking to _our son_ , Odin. Would you like the honors of telling him the truth? Or should I?”

Both Thor and Loki heard Gaea’s words and a gasp was all they could manage for the moment.


	5. Chapter 5

The Truth About Lies Chapter 5

A pin drop could be heard in the moments following Gaea’s words. It seemed as though no one knew what to say...no one besides Gaea, that is. “Well?” she questioned firmly as she glared at Odin.

Thor looked over at his father and saw that Odin was watching him remorsefully. He felt someone grab his shoulder and give it a firm squeeze. He turned his head to look slightly behind him and saw Loki staring at him sympathetically. Immediately, he turned back to his father and asked, “What is she talking about, Father? Who is she talking about? Who is her son?” He had a horrible notion who that person was, but he needed it confirmed.

“Thor,” Odin said, walking over to him. “I never wanted you to find out this way.”

That was confirmation enough. Quickly, he closed his eyes and tilted his head downward, almost as if he wanted to block everything out now. When he looked back up at the All-Father, he asked as calmly as he could muster, “Is she my mother?” Thor shook his head. “Are you even my father? Am I about to find out that I’m a Frost Giant, too? Or maybe I’m a giant or a fire demon from Muspelheim?” 

“No,” Odin stated firmly. “You are my son.”

Thor gritted his teeth for a moment and then asked, “Just like Loki is your son?”

“Yes and no,” Odin replied, matter-of-factly. “Yes, Loki is my son, too, but _you_ are of my blood. _You_ are truly my son…”

Thor interrupted him by exclaiming, “But I’m not of Frigga’s blood! That’s what all of this is about, right?”

Odin grimaced and stepped closer. He placed his hand on his son’s bare shoulder—Loki still had ahold of the other—and answered softly, “No, you are not.”

Thor immediately shrugged everyone’s hands off of him. He stepped away and looked at Gaea. “What are you? What am I?” His mind was filled with thoughts of Loki’s discovery, that Loki wasn’t even of the flesh he had grown up with. Would he have a similar fate?

Odin didn’t allow her time to speak. “You are an Asgardian,” he answered; “You are part of the Aesir.”

Thor ignored him and continued to look at Gaea. 

She nodded and said, “You are part of the Aesir as your father says, but you’re also a part of Earth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thor, I am Earth personified. I am Mother of Midgard. I’m your mother.”

Squeezing his eyes shut and walking away to pace a little, he replied, “I don’t even know what that means.”

“Thor,” Odin said, trying to get his attention. His son glared at him.

Before the All-Father could even say a syllable, Thor cried out, “And, why didn’t you tell me this before? Why did you let me believe Frigga was my mother?” 

“She is your mother in every way that it counts,” Odin insisted.

Thor looked over at Loki for a moment and then asked coolly, “And, what is my purpose? You wanted Loki so he could build an alliance between us and the Frost Giants. Why did you want me?”

“I wanted a son.”

He shook his head. “No, it was more than that. As Loki and I had discussed earlier today, you always have a reason for everything that you do. Mother told us that constantly, so I ask again:  what purpose do I serve?”

Odin turned his head to glare at Gaea for a moment before he looked back at his son. His countenance changed into one of regret and guilt. “I wanted a son, one who would be strong on Earth.”

“Why?” Thor cried as a single tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it away speedily. He didn’t cry easily and he wasn’t going to start now.

“If we ever had a war with the Midgardians…”

Thor cried out, “So, I’m just a tool, like Loki was! I’m another way to protect Asgard!”

“NO! You are not a tool! You are my son, and I wanted you very much! Frigga wanted you!”

Thor didn’t want to hear any more right now. How could he trust the words that were coming out of Odin’s mouth? He didn’t even know how he could bear to hear his father’s voice anymore after this! He shook his head and turned around hurriedly to look at Heimdall, who carried the uru sword. He was tempted to run over there, take it, activate the Bifrost, and just go somewhere…anywhere but here. But instead, he simply walked away and headed back towards the city. 

“Thor!” he heard both Gaea and Odin call out to him, but he ignored them. He would hear what they had to say later when he knew he could handle it and actually listen. At this moment, his emotions were too raw and running rampant. He was trying hard to keep them in check and it was proving to be difficult. He wanted to act like he had in the past when he was younger:  use Mjölnir to destroy a few things to get the pain out, but he was no longer that boy. Or at least, he tried not to be ever since he made his awful mistake of going to Jotenheim not all that long ago…

He heard someone running up behind him, but he didn’t turn around to see who it was. It wasn’t until the person stepped to his side that he knew: 

Loki. 

Thor was actually glad his brother was there and that he wouldn’t have to handle this alone.

* * *

 

_I know. This is another short chapter I wanted to get something out tonight. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I’m not sure how well it turned out, but I hope it was at least interesting, haha. Let me know what you think, please! I’ll try my best to get something out in the very near future. After Friday, I’m out for the holidays, so I’ll have a lot more time to write!_


	6. Chapter 6

The Truth About Lies Chapter 6

They walked back towards the city together. Thor refused to look at Loki, but secretly he was somewhat comforted by his presence. 

“Thor…” Loki began but quickly Thor shook his head at him.

“I do not want to talk right now, brother,” he said simply. He turned to meet his gaze for a brief second before facing forward again. 

Loki fell silent, but he didn’t stay that way for long. Behind them, they could hear Sleipnir, their father’s horse, and he knew Odin was following them.

“Thor,” they heard Odin say as the All-Father got within ten feet of them. 

Thor gritted his teeth and kept going. He didn’t turn around. Loki looked at his brother, saw his expression, and turned abruptly to face Odin. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough today?” Loki spat. “First, you destroy my life because you never told me who I truly was. You would have thought that the almighty, powerful Odin would learn from his mistakes, but no, you continued to keep secrets and did the same thing you did to me to your precious Thor!”

Odin climbed down from Sleipnir and stepped in front of Loki. Several feet away, Thor had stopped and turned his head slightly to listen to what was happening behind him, but he didn’t look at them. Odin spoke, “I think you are hardly the person who should be questioning if I learn from my mistakes, Loki. After everything that you have done…”

Loki laughed sarcastically. “Are you serious? Here you are, caught in another one of your lies and instead of addressing that, you choose to ridicule your adopted son who you claimed to still love.”

Odin locked his jaw as he watched Thor turn around to look at him. He met Thor’s gaze for a moment before looking back at Loki. “You’re right. I am wasting time with you right now.” He turned to his guardsmen that were following him. “Guards, take Loki back to Asgard and put him in confinement.”

Loki backed up a little as the guards rushed forward, but before they could reach him, a sudden lightning strike hit the rainbow bridge. The surprise and the intensity of the impact made Loki and the guardsmen fall onto their backs. Even Odin and Sleipnir took cautious steps backwards. “Wha--?” Loki gasped when he sat up and looked behind him as the skies grew dark and thunder boomed all around them. He smiled when he saw that Thor had Mjölnir high above his head.

Lowering his weapon, Thor stepped forward, grabbed Loki, and pulled him roughly to his feet. Gritting his teeth for a moment, he stared at Odin unblinkingly and then declared, “Enough heartache has occurred to our family this day; I do not wish any more to be added on to it. Loki is coming with me.”

Odin stepped closer, within five feet of Thor, and replied, “Loki is a criminal. Despite being my son and your brother, he still needs to carry out his sentence…”

Thor wrinkled his face in disgust at Odin’s words and raised his voice significantly, “Loki has done many wrongs, I do realize that, but when have you ever paid for yours?”

Odin gaped at his son. “Thor?” he questioned disbelievingly. 

Thor shook his head and said, “I never understood Loki’s actions. I never understood how he could turn his back on you and Asgard. At one point I had even believed someone or something was controlling him.” He tilted his head downward for a moment before looking back up. “Now, I see the truth:  despair made him act the way he does and that despair was caused by you.”

Odin stepped closer until Thor glared at him and raised Mjölnir slightly. The All-Father stopped immediately. “I admit I’ve done many wrongs and that I have hurt the both of you, but you must know that was never my intentions. I love you both. You’re my sons.”

Loki smirked at Odin and replied, “You have a funny way of showing it, _Father_.” He spat the last word to let Odin know exactly what he thought of that term, at least in regards to him.

Odin turned his attention to his youngest. “Like I said, I have done things that I regret, but there is one thing I will not accept responsibility for and that’s your actions, Loki. You made your own choices, and you have not fooled me for a second. You went to Laufey to ruin Thor’s coronation before you even found out your true parentage. You were the one who let Frost Giants into the weapons vault. You wanted Thor to disobey me and you played him like you always do…”

Loki sneered at Odin and interrupted by questioning, “Did you ever stop to think that your actions over the years drove me…”

“Enough!” Thor yelled firmly. He looked at Loki and then Odin and said, “I’m sorry, but this is not about your relationship right now. I do not want to hear the same old arguments that I have heard for the last year.” He paused, looked behind Odin, and asked, “Where is she?”

“Where is who?” Odin looked genuinely confused.

“Gaea,” Thor answered. “My supposed mother. Where is she?”

Odin frowned. “I convinced her to go back to Midgard for now. I told her I wanted to talk to you first.” He sighed. “I still don’t want you to have anything to do with her. She…” Thor interrupted him.

“You don’t want me to have anything to do with my own mother?” he asked incredulously.

Odin pursed his lips disapprovingly and countered, “Frigga is your mother, not Gaea. We owe that woman nothing. She agreed long ago to give you up and stay out of your life, and I expect her to keep that promise.”

Thor growled loudly and walked within mere inches of Odin. They stood face-to-face as he spat, “If you didn’t want her to be my mother, you should have thought about that before you laid with her!” He stepped back abruptly and glared at him. “Speaking of which, how did that even come about? You were married to Frigga. So, I’m the bastard son of your infidelity.” He squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled, “Mother is amazing. I never got an inkling that she saw me as anything but her son, but when she looked at me, she had to be reminded of what you did.” He paused and looked at Loki. He huffed a little in sarcastic amusement. “Well, I was always jealous of her relationship with Loki. Just like I was supposedly closer to you, Loki was closer to Mother. I guess now I know why. That’s why she shared her abilities of deception with him instead of me.”

Loki widened his eyes and gasped a little. “Thor, I never realized…”

Thor shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now, Loki.” He turned back to Odin who apparently was waiting patiently for his son to look at him again.

Odin held his eyes unwaveringly and replied, “I wooed Gaea. I had every intention of creating…”

Thor turned around abruptly and groaned loudly. “It turns out I don’t want to hear this right now.” He then stated resolutely, “I do not know if I’ll ever be able to hear it, especially from you.” He shook his head again and whispered, “I never thought you would deceive me as you have. I never saw this coming.” The skies crackled and boomed with lightning and thunder again menacingly. Odin looked up at the skies and then back at Thor.

“You must control yourself, son. If your emotions get out of hand, you might…”

“Do NOT tell me what to do!” Thor snarled and once again lightning popped as he tightened his hold on Mjölnir. He looked back to his brother and said, “Loki is coming with me.” He faced Odin once more and added, “Do not send your guards after us or anyone else. I’m warning you now…”

“Warning me?” Odin asked incredulously.

Thor simply continued determinedly, “…that if you send anyone to confront us or take Loki back to prison, I will fight back and they will lose.” Thor walked to Loki’s side rapidly and grabbed him by the arm.

“Thor!” Odin called out warningly.

He didn’t listen. Instead, he lifted Mjölnir and flew Loki and himself back to the Bifrost. As soon as they landed, he said, “Heimdall, I want to go to Midgard. Will you grant me passage?”

Heimdall looked down the rainbow bridge at Odin who was riding back towards them. “The king has not forbidden me to do so, but I have a feeling he will soon. I owe you for helping me to protect Asgard from the elves, so hurry.”

Quickly, they went inside and Heimdall activated the Bifrost. Just as Odin arrived, Loki and he departed. When they landed on Earth once more, Thor looked up at the sky, hurriedly raised Mjölnir, grabbed Loki, and shot up into the air. He knew to avoid Odin, he would have to get away from the site to make it harder for the All-Father to find them.


	7. Chapter 7

The Truth About Lies Chapter 7

There were times when Thor wondered what life would be like without Mjölnir. Oh, he could remember when he was a child and it had just been him and Loki causing mischief throughout the palace and fighting bullies in the courtyard with their mere fists. In those days, he had always known of Mjölnir's existence—he knew the legend well. Supposedly, his father had the hammer forged in the core of a dying star. It was to be a companion of Asgard's greatest warrior. Even as a child, he had imagined himself as that person and he did all that he could to ensure that he was. He had wanted to fight with the hammer, to win wars with it…

At that moment, all he wanted to do with it was run.

He knew without a doubt in his mind that the All-Father was searching Midgard for him now that he had fled. He was probably even using Heimdall, who could easily spot him, so the key was to keep moving, to move faster than the Bifrost could send someone to an area. He hoped it worked.

"Thor," he heard Loki gasp beside him. "Please, you might be used to defying gravity at monstrous speeds, but I'm not. Can we stop?"

Taking pity on his brother, he found an uninhabited spot below them and quickly broke through tree branches and other types of vegetation to set themselves on the ground. "We can't stay here for long," he replied, "Heimdall and our father will find us soon and…"

Loki took several large breaths to put more air into his lungs. When he was sure he was able to, he interrupted, "So, what's your grand plan? To keep moving until we pass out from exhaustion? We can't fly indefinitely."

"I'll think of something eventually, brother," Thor stated confidently. "Perhaps, Father will let us be for a while."

Loki laughed sarcastically. "Are you serious? He would never let his precious Thor run from him."

Pursing his lips in irritation, he replied, "I wish you would stop saying that. I'm not his 'precious Thor' any more than you're his 'precious Loki.' He lied to us both."

"At least he _is_ _your_ father," Loki mumbled.

Before either could say anything more, the wind picked up and started blowing against them roughly. It was very reminiscent of what had happened earlier that day. They looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Gaea." They both looked around to see if they could spot her rising from the earth, but instead, it seemed like the entire earth was rising. It took them both a moment to realize that the ground wasn't moving; rather, they were descending into it.

"Loki," Thor gasped as he grabbed his brother's arm. He lifted Mjölnir in the air, but before he could take flight, Gaea's voice stopped him.

"Please don't leave. I'm only preventing your father from finding you."

At those words, he let his brother go. Suddenly, they were falling at a high rate of speed, but he used Mjölnir to catch himself whereas Loki fell on a huge pile of leaves and vines.

"Did you even think to catch me, brother?" Loki snapped as he tried to get the leaves off and untangle himself from the vines.

Thor lowered himself slowly to the ground and then took the opportunity to look around. He didn't answer Loki's question. "We seem to be in some sort of cave," he noted.

"No," Loki responded sarcastically; "I thought we were at the beach." He finally freed himself and came to stand beside his brother.

Thor glared at his companion and then growled, "Why are you always so irritable?"

Instead of Loki answering him, Gaea did even though she was nowhere to be seen. "Perhaps it is a mere habit, Thor. Or, maybe he's upset because he's been reminded that despite the fact that Frigga is not your mother, Odin is still your father. Jealousy is a good source of antagonism."

Loki glared around the room and turned in circles trying to spot her. "Thank you for that endearing attempt to look inside my mind, but I'm afraid you have no idea what you're talking about."

When Loki faced Thor again, a voice replied close behind them. "Perhaps you are right. It was only a guess."

The brothers spun around quickly and noticed that Gaea stood only five feet away. She smiled at Thor and said without missing a beat, "I'm so happy you have come to see me again."

Thor swallowed roughly as he stared at the woman. She looked much the same as she did earlier, but there was a slight difference: she was still wearing a green dress and her dark hair was still falling wildly in curls down her shoulders and back. She had brown eyes, but he noticed that the more he looked at them, the more they seemed to be changing to green. Making himself pay attention to what was happening around him and their discussion, he shook his head several times and then replied, "Who said I'm here to see you? I left Asgard to get away from my father. I wasn't going to be left alone as I had requested and Father wanted to throw my brother into confinement." He gestured towards Loki.

Gaea glanced at her son's companion for only a second and asked softly, "You do care about this small 'giant', don't you?"

Loki glared at her and took a bold step forward, but Thor quickly placed a hand on his shoulder and said sharply, "Brother." He met Gaea's gaze then and admitted, "Yes, I do."

She nodded once with a look of amusement. "As for why you are here, I think you should be honest with yourself. You had seven other realms to choose from when leaving Asgard, and yet, you chose Midgard. Why? You knew I was here and you knew I'd find you, just as I did before. You wanted me to find you, so here I am."

Thor turned away from Gaea and looked around the enclosed cave. He could see no way out, but he knew there had to be air coming from somewhere since he could breathe without difficulty and torches burned brightly all around them. Calmly, he replied, "Here you are, but where are we?"

She smiled. "Nowhere in particular, just far beneath the surface, son," she answered.

Thor cringed and stated authoritatively, "Do not call me 'son.' I do not know you and you do not know me."

Gaea walked over to him and touched his wrist hesitantly, almost as if she were testing him to see his response. When he did not pull away, she wrapped her fingers around him and countered, "I know a great deal about you, Thor. I daresay I know more about you than you do."

When he looked at her questioningly, she said, "You have spent all your life in Asgard. You grew up with Loki inside the palace. Your father had tutors to teach you when you were younger, but he also allowed other students to attend these studies so you could make friends. That's how you met Sif and the Warriors Three. Let's see…while you were younger and even recently, you've had some interest in Sif romantically, but currently, you have turned those pursuits to a mortal here by the name of Jane Foster…"

"What?" Loki interrupted with wide eyes and a huge grin. "Why, Thor, Sif really is on the list? I had no idea."

Slightly embarrassed, Thor could feel heat spreading throughout his body, especially to his face and ears. Taking a deep breath and glaring at Loki to get himself under control, he snapped, "Do not start, brother!" When he turned back to Gaea, he added, "So, you do know some things, but you said you know more than I do. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"Please!" Loki added gleefully. He sat down on the ground cross-legged and seemed attentive. Thor frowned in annoyance at his brother.

Gaea chuckled and gestured behind her to two large logs facing each other. "Let's sit and make ourselves more comfortable." As Thor followed, Loki jumped up and joined them.

When they were all seated, she asked, "Are you sure you want to know everything?"

Thor looked at his brother instinctively. He remembered their earlier discussion: Loki had stated that he would have chosen to learn the truth about his past, even if he had been warned that it would upset him. He realized he felt the same way. He already knew Gaea was his mother, so he might as well find out everything else that went along with it. "Yes," he answered simply.

"Good," she replied and then began. "Like you already know, you were born over 2,000 years ago. What you might not realize is that you were not born in Asgard." She grinned and revealed, "You were born here on Earth in a cave, which is now in a place called Norway."

"Well, how about that," Loki said in amusement. "When Father complains about Jane in the future, you should tell him you are only in love with one of your own people since you are an Earthling."

Thor sighed in response to Loki's words, but Gaea was the one who replied. "Well, in a way, those words aren't exactly true."

"What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"When you use the term 'Earthling', you are implying that Thor is mortal. He is not."

Loki smirked and said, "Ah, yes, he is his father's son, after all."

"Not exactly," Gaea replied with a smile.

"What?" Thor asked. He shook his head. Already he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

She laughed and explained, "Your father is not the only reason that you're not a mortal. I'm not one, either, you know."

"What are you?" Thor asked. He had asked that question earlier and hadn't received a clear answer.

She shrugged and answered, "I told you earlier that I am Mother of Midgard. I created Earth."

Loki and Thor gasped in surprise at that last bit of information. Loki was the first to recover and stated, "So, you mean you are a goddess; therefore, Thor really is a god, like Earthlings have thought over the years."

Gaea rolled her eyes and said, "'Goddess' and 'god' are applied too often in Midgard. Anyone who has powers or lives for many years is considered a 'god' to them."

Thor felt a chill run down his spine as he asked, "So, you're not a goddess?"

She grinned. "It all depends on your definition of the word, son. Do I have powers and the ability to live forever? Yes. Did I have a hand in creating the Earth you know today? Yes. Did I have a hand in creating the universe? Yes."

Thor looked down at his hands for a moment and replied softly, "My father is of the Aesir. He is an Asgardian. What are you? I would like to know who I am. What other people does my blood belong to?"

She looked at him sympathetically and replied, "There is no name to share really besides those given by Earthlings. Like they called you the God of Thunder, they called me and others part of a group called the 'Elder Gods.'" She smiled and added, "You and your father are considered a second generation of gods, if you will."

Loki widened his brow and clarified, "And, you were part of the first."

She nodded her head once in acquiescence.

Clearly interested, Loki asked another question, "Then, you are far older than Odin?"

Gaea laughed again and answered, "Yes, I am."

Thor stood up abruptly and walked away from them.

"Thor?" Gaea and Loki called out at the same time.

He kept walking away until he could go no farther. When he turned around, he saw that they had followed him. He leaned against the wall behind him and stated firmly, "My father stated earlier that I was wanted, that Frigga wanted me. Why was I born and why did you give me up?"

=)=)=)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell I'm trying to interweave some of Marvel's plots in this story, as well as those from Norse Mythology. As you know, there are so many different versions from both sources, ironically. So, this is going to take some flushing out, so I hope you don't mind that this chapter mainly dealt with that. After all, I believe a son who found out he was possibly of another species would want to know these things.
> 
> In any case, I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

The Truth About Lies Chapter 8

" _Why was I born and why did you give me up_?"

Thor didn't know why, but he had expected to see Gaea flinch or show some kind of discomfort at his question. She didn't. She merely stared at him matter-of-factly and replied, "There's not an easy answer to those questions, Thor, but I'll do my best to explain. In those days, I was lonely. I had developed the habit of disguising myself to find companionship. Mortal men and the younger 'gods' would have tried to befriend me only to use me. That had occurred often enough, so I hid my identity to stop that vicious cycle. When I met your father, I called myself Jord…"

Thor and Loki popped their heads up at that. "Jord," Thor repeated softly.

Gaea raised an eyebrow questioningly and asked, "You know that name?"

He nodded. "Yes, when I asked my father about you earlier, he told me that your name was Jord. I got angry. I thought he was lying to me, because I knew your name was Gaea."

She smiled a little and said, "I suppose it depends on how you look at it to determine whether he was lying or not. He knows now that my name is Gaea—he found that out before you were born. Sometimes, he still calls me Jord, but overall, he refers to me by my right name. For him to tell you that I'm Jord, he must have wanted to keep my true identity a secret. After all, it would be much easier to learn about 'Gaea' than it would be 'Jord' if you ever had the desire to try to find out about me on your own."

He nodded, accepting her thoughts on his father's actions. That was his thinking, as well.

Loki quickly interjected his thoughts. "Odin always looks for ways to hide the truth, doesn't he? Lies hidden in truths. Too bad he's not too good at it."

Gaea shrugged and said, "Oh, I don't know. He hid the truth about me and your parents, Loki, for over 2,000 years. I think that's quite an accomplishment, don't you?"

Loki grimaced and mumbled to himself.

Bringing their conversation back to the original topic, Thor asked, "I gather from your story that you wanted companionship with my father. How did that turn into wanting to have a baby with him?"

"Oh, Thor," Loki said admonishingly with a smirk. "Must we discuss the happenings between a man and a woman again? You would think you'd know by now."

Thor frowned at his brother but didn't reply, because Gaea caught his attention.

She had a faraway look in her eyes, almost as if she were reliving the past in her mind. Thor didn't doubt that for a second, so he listened intently when she began to speak. "At that time, I was having problems with my family. Some of the other Elder Gods were being petty and cruel, especially to the inhabitants of Earth. In order to stop them, I bore children that would grow up to protect the planet and its life. Everyone I coupled with knew my goal and learned my true identity. When I told your father who I truly was—even though I now have my suspicions that he always knew—he asked if I would be willing to give him the offspring of our copulation. He claimed that he needed a powerful son who would lead Asgard and that I was the one who could provide that for him. He then said I would still achieve my goal, too, because he wanted you to protect Midgard, as well. He told me about your hammer and the powers that you would have when you wielded it. It seemed like a win-win situation. At the time, I really liked your father and I even liked Frigga. She seemed to want you as much as he did, and for a wife to be so willing to have her husband do this, I knew there had to be a good reason. So, I agreed. I laid with Odin and gave you to him…" She paused for a moment and looked deeply into Thor's eyes. "But that doesn't mean that I forgot about you. Like I said earlier, I watched you all the time. I knew what was happening in your life, and whenever you went to Earth, I was there with you even if you couldn't see me. I loved you very much, and I still do."

Thor looked down at the ground and whispered, "Why does my Father want you to stay away? What is he afraid of?"

She smirked, "Isn't it obvious? You are to be Asgard's king. If you have a preference for Earth and its people, then your heart isn't going to be in Asgard. It's going to be here. That is the one problem with your father's plan. He didn't take into account at the time that because I am Earth, the pull of this realm would be very strong to you. Earth is a part of you, more so than Asgard. He hates that notion, because he wants you to love and protect Asgard and cast Midgard aside if need be. He's seeing now that you won't do that."

Thor moved away from the wall and walked past Gaea and Loki again. He sat back down on the log and shook his head miserably.

Loki walked over to join his brother. He sat beside him and looked up at Gaea when she came to stand in front of them. "What did you mean earlier when you said that you now believe Odin had always known who you were?" he asked, inquisitively. "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "Well, it is the only thing that makes sense. Think about it. I interacted with your father a lot and Frigga never said a disparaging word to me or him, even before I told them who I really was. I know now that Odin didn't care for me romantically at all, so why did he pretend that he did? Why did Frigga allow it? That tells me that they wanted something from me and the only thing they ever got, which stopped our interactions all together, was Thor."

Thor shook his head and looked straight ahead of him. "So, I am a son who was wanted for the powers I would one day possess, nothing more. Both of my parents felt this way and schemed to make my existence a reality." He then met Gaea's eyes and said, "And, I have a whole other family that I know nothing about. You said you bore children…that means I have brothers and sisters that I never met."

Gaea blinked several times in surprise. "Y-yes," she stuttered. "You do, but I never…" She couldn't get anything else out, because Loki jumped to his feet and glared at her.

"I bet these children of yours would just love to meet Thor," he spat. "Oh, yes, they'd love to use him for the same powers you and Odin want to exploit. They probably care about him as much as you and Odin do, and that's hardly at all. Well, Thor doesn't want to meet them or have anything else to do with them." He turned to his brother abruptly and ordered forcefully, "Let's go!"

Thor was shocked at Loki's sudden hostility. He had practically been enthralled with Gaea's story until that point. He had hung on every word and actually seemed to like her, so what had happened? "Loki?" he questioned.

Loki wouldn't take no for an answer. "Don't you think we should think about all of this before we run off to meet your long lost brothers and sisters that we know nothing about? We don't even know enough about Gaea to trust her! And, and…we need to figure out what we're going to do. It's not like we can stay in this cave forever. Are you going back to Asgard or elsewhere? We have enough to think about without adding more to it."

Thor stood and glanced over at Gaea before grabbing his brother by the arm. He leaned close and whispered, "What's wrong with you?"

Loki simply glared at him, which made Thor squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. He had an idea what the problem was. He turned to Gaea and said, "Is there a place we can go that will hide us from Odin and Heimdall and give Loki and me enough time to talk privately?"

Gaea nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

The Truth About Lies Chapter 9

Gaea gestured for Thor and Loki to follow her. She began to walk down a corridor that was off to their left and the brothers stared after her in shock. They hadn’t noticed the opening earlier. In fact, Thor was fairly sure it hadn’t been there before, but he began to follow, anyway. 

Suddenly, his brother’s arm shot out and grabbed him. “Should we be blindly following her?” he asked.

Thor turned to face Loki and asked, “Do you have a better idea? I don’t know where to go or what to do right now…” He shook his head.

Loki dropped his hand to his side and only got a syllable of his initial response out before he clammed up. Thor met his gaze and could tell his brother had been on the verge of giving him a scathing reply—probably something about the Mighty Thor not knowing what to do—but had thought better of it. Loki looked serious for a moment and said, “We could always go to one of _my_ hideaways. We don’t need Gaea.”

Thor looked to the floor and contemplated what he wanted to do. “I want answers,” he replied finally. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get honest ones from Father. Besides, I feel so...I don’t know how to even describe it. Gaea is not innocent in all of this. I know that, but she is my mother. I doubt she will hurt us. She could have at any time before now, but she didn’t.”

Loki sighed.

When Thor heard it, he asked, “Why are you suddenly so set against her?”

“Were you even listening to her story? She created children to basically be her soldiers for Earth. That doesn’t concern you at all? Maybe this is all a ploy…”

Thor pursed his lips for a moment and then shook his head. “No, Loki, if she needed help in protecting the Earth, all she would have to do is ask. She knows how I feel about this realm. Tricks would be unneeded and pointless.”

He started to follow Gaea, so Loki did, as well. As they walked together, he asked softly, “Do you have plans to meet her offspring?”

Thor glanced at him briefly as they tried to find Gaea and catch up with her. “Yes,” he stated matter-of-factly. “They are my brothers and sisters. Now that I know of their existence, how can I not?” He smiled with a shrug and commented smugly, “Who knows, brother? We may find a sibling that you actually like.”

Loki snarled. “They’re not my siblings—they’re yours, if you must claim them! And, I already have…” He trailed off when Thor looked at him curiously.

“You already have what?”

Loki wrinkled his face and said, “Oh, you would just love for me to say it, wouldn’t you? Hold it over my head every chance you get? Well, it’s not going to happen.”

Thor shook his head exasperatedly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Loki. When have I ever held anything over your head? I have forgiven you time and time again for countless pranks, betrayals, and crimes. You would think by now that you would get it through your head that I…” He grew silent.

“Here we go,” Loki stated sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

Thor frowned and stomped off. “You know what? Never mind. I’m tired of arguing. I have enough to contemplate and worry about.” He stopped when he realized that Loki was no longer beside him. He turned around and saw his brother standing where he had walked away from him. He headed back and questioned, “Loki, what are you doing? Why aren’t you coming with me?”

“You’ve had enough, you said. I thought you might desire a break from your old family and time to spend getting acquainted with your new one.”

Thor gripped Mjölnir tightly and stared at the ceiling above them. When he looked back down, he stated firmly, “I never said I desired a break from anyone but my father.” He walked closer and grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “I have always followed you when you’ve run off. Why would I walk away now?” He sighed and mumbled, “I need you now, brother, more than ever.”

“Sentimental fool,” Loki said calmly.

Thor smiled and nodded, though. He could tell Loki accepted his words and had agreed to come with him even if he wouldn’t say it aloud. “Come on, brother.” When he walked away, he noticed with a soft smile that Loki was right beside him. 

=)=)=)

Walking for several minutes, the brothers eventually found themselves stepping out of the corridor into a large opening. They both gasped. They appeared to be on a cliff and far below them, stretching into the sky and disappearing into the earth above them, was a castle. Water surrounded it and it actually looked beautiful despite being underground and the color of sand.

“Welcome to my home,” they heard Gaea speak behind them. 

Loki turned around, clearly startled, but Thor had gotten a feeling that she would show up now that they were here, so he hadn’t been surprised to hear her voice. 

Calmly, he turned around. “It’s very beautiful,” he said.

Gaea smiled softly and offered, “It can be your home, too, for as long as you like. Your father will not find you here. Your brother can stay, as well.” She then stepped off the cliff and Thor was surprised to see that the earth had risen quickly to stop her fall. As she kept stepping forward, stairs appeared under her feet. “Come on,” she called out.

Thor glanced at Loki and motioned with his head to follow. He stepped on the freshly-made staircase and was surprised to find it sturdy. He followed Gaea and looked back every so often to make sure Loki was following. His brother seemed nervous coming down the steps, but he was practically skipping down them two at a time. When he finally reached the bottom, a boat awaited them. Gaea was already standing inside of it.

“Your Frost Giant is slow,” Gaea said with a grin and a laugh.

“Don’t call him that,” Thor replied calmly. “He is my brother and an Asgardian. Those are acceptable terms to call him.”

Gaea studied his face and Thor almost wanted to fidget under scrutiny. Finally, she asked, “What does he feel on the matter? Does he deny that heritage, that part of himself?” Before he could answer, Gaea added, “Will you deny the newly discovered part of yourself, as well?”

At that moment, Loki walked up and got into the boat with them. Thor ignored Gaea’s last question and they both settled down to go to Gaea’s palace.


	10. Chapter 10

The Truth About Lies Chapter 10

Thor and Loki stood before the underground palace as Gaea walked ahead of them to the entrance. Instinctively, the brothers were taking in their surroundings, looking for any surprise attacks or possible dangers. It was a habit that had been instilled into them by their father and other warriors who had trained them in their youth. Once they established that the immediate grounds were free of threat, they walked quickly after Gaea, who was waiting for them at the main doors.

Once they arrived, she smiled sweetly at Thor and said, "Welcome home, son." She pushed the doors open and immediately walked inside.

Thor didn't expect it, but his reaction to Gaea's words was an uncontrollable cringe. As much as he loved Midgard and as much as he wanted to avoid his father right now, calling anywhere but Asgard home felt…wrong. Regardless, he knew his mother was just trying to make him feel welcome, so he took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Instantly, his mouth dropped open in astonishment. From the outside, the palace looked rustic and simple, but the inside reminded him of the Asgardian palace. It was every bit as beautiful with gold floors, marble statues, and granite walls, among other things. He stared all around him until Loki stepped beside him and whispered, "Well, isn't this a surprise?"

Before he could reply to his brother, he heard a yell that made his heart thud heavily in his chest.

"MOTHER!" a voice cried. Thor watched as a large man descended the stairs in front of them and rushed to Gaea. He picked her up happily and twirled her around in a massive hug.

Thor glanced at Loki momentarily to gage his reaction to this colossal man, who was at least three feet taller than Thor and had brown hair and blue eyes. Loki seemed surprised and actually a little wary.

Thor turned his attention back to the scene before him as the man set Gaea down with a laugh. "Where have you been? I've been here for a couple of days, at least, waiting to see you, Mother. I started to think I would have to go home without actually seeing you at all."

Gaea smiled brightly and replied, "I have been busy, son. You know how things can get."

"That I do," he replied. His eyes then moved past his mother to the two people standing in the threshold of the room. "And, I see that you have guests." He walked over to Loki and extended his arm. "Hi, I'm Oceanus, and you are?"

Loki merely stared at the man's hand obstinately and replied, "I am Loki…and this is my brother, Thor." Thor raised his brow at Loki's introductions. His brother had left off their customary titles of "sons of Odin."

Regardless of the omitted phrase, Oceanus' reaction was immediate. He snapped his head to the man beside Loki and mumbled, "Thor." He turned back to his mother and questioned, " _The_ Thor?"

She grinned toothily and answered, "Yes, my son. This is Thor, Odin's son. Thor, this is your brother Oceanus."

Taking a deep but shaky breath, Thor stepped forward and extended his arm in greeting. "It's a pleasure," he said politely. As was custom, the two men gripped each other's forearms. When Thor pulled away, Oceanus laughed and exclaimed, "I can't believe it! I actually have a little brother!"

Loki glared at Oceanus whereas Thor merely turned to Gaea nervously and questioned, "I thought you had more than one son, or is Oceanus your youngest aside from me?"

Oceanus lifted an eyebrow and replied, "Uh, no, that would be Cronus."

She smirked at Oceanus before walking to stand beside Thor. "He is referring to your actual size, my son. Most of my other children are Titans, giants if you will."

Loki jabbed Thor in the ribs softly and mumbled laughingly, "Looks like I'm not the only one who was the runt of the litter!"

Thor glared at his brother but got distracted by Gaea, who was speaking. "Oceanus, Thor and Loki will be staying with me for a short while. It would be nice if you would keep their presence to yourself. I don't want everyone showing up and overwhelming Thor on his first visit. You know how all of you can be when you get together."

Oceanus nodded and said, "I will, Mother." He smiled at Thor and then asked, "Should I show Thor to his chambers? And, what about…Loki?"

She turned to the Asgardian in question and said, "I have always had bedchambers for Thor because I knew this day would one day come, but I did not plan for him to bring his younger brother when he did. Would you like to stay in Thor's suite or have one of your own while you stay?"

Thor didn't give Loki a chance to answer. "We would prefer to stay together," he replied, not even thinking twice about it. They were in a strange place, so he wanted Loki close by. He glanced at his brother, who merely nodded once in agreement. Then, he looked back at Gaea and said awkwardly, "I suppose I should…thank you for your hospitality and actually…providing me a place in your home for all of these years."

She placed a hand on his cheek and he made an effort to stop himself from flinching and pulling away. "You will always have a place here, Thor," she whispered. She then turned away and said, "Just follow Oceanus. I will be around to see you later."

Thor watched as Gaea disappeared down a side corridor. He didn't know how he should feel. He had just entered his birth mother's home for the first time and already he felt completely overwhelmed. He hadn't been prepared for Gaea's motherly advances. He hadn't been prepared for the news that she actually kept a place for him in her home all these years. And, he certainly hadn't been prepared to meet a brother so soon. And, yet, it had happened.

He turned his attention to Oceanus, who simply watched him. When he stared back, the Titan said, "You looked lost in thought, so I thought I'd give you time to process whatever you were thinking."

Thor didn't know how to respond to that, so he simply nodded.

Soon, Oceanus gestured with his hands for them to follow him upstairs and said simply, "Come."

They trailed behind the Titan, but Thor noticed that Loki glared at Oceanus the entire way.

=)=)=)

Odin stood beside Heimdall and questioned urgently, "Do you see them?"

The gatekeeper replied slowly, "I'm afraid not. Thor kept them on the move when they arrived on Midgard, and then they disappeared."

Odin shook his head rapidly and exclaimed, "No one just disappears! What did you see?"

Heimdall turned his eyes away from Yggdrasil and Midgard to look at his king. "I saw Thor and Loki descend into the planet's surface. At first, they seemed panicked, but then they calmed. Because of this, I do not believe they were in any danger."

"Gaea!" spat the All-Father. "She is responsible for this! She is keeping my son from me!"

"Just like you have kept her son from her all of these years," Heimdall observed.

Odin glared at him and snapped, "I did not keep Thor from her! _She_ agreed to give him up! You know that, so why would you say such a thing?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness," he replied automatically.

Odin looked back down into Yggdrasil and ordered, "Keep your eyes open for Thor, Loki, and Gaea. If you see any of them, let me know immediately." He started to walk away, but then he whirled around. "In fact, let me know if you see any of Gaea's children move to a central location. If Gaea wishes to keep Thor from me, she might use her offspring as a means to that end, to let Thor see her in the role of mother." He then stared at the skies above him and groaned in frustration. "I refuse to see this family torn apart! I refuse to lose him now! I just lost Frigga, his mother…I don't think I could bear losing him, too."

Walking away, Odin wiped a single tear that had fallen from his eye.


	11. Chapter 11

The Truth About Lies Chapter 11

Odin stood at the railing on one of the palace balconies and tried to focus his own eye and attention onto Midgard. He was trying desperately to spot either one of his sons but had thus far been unsuccessful. He knew Frigga would be hysterical if she were still alive. Despite the fact that Gaea was really Thor's mother, his wife had loved Thor as her own and had always been fearful of the day that the Midgardian goddess would one day try to take him.

Now that day had arrived, Gaea had succeeded, and he had no idea how to get Thor back. He couldn't even find them!

Sighing for the millionth time, he turned away from the railing to see Sif and the Warriors Three behind him. "News?" he asked, already knowing that they didn't have any but asking so they would tell him why they were really there.

"No," Sif answered, "but we came to beg an audience, my king."

"Speak."

Sif looked at her companions briefly before talking aloud. "We're worried about Thor," she revealed. "We know he has fled with Loki to Midgard. With your permission, we would like to go after him."

Odin stepped towards them and said, "I thank you for your concern and volunteering, but we cannot find him at this time. You would be merely roaming Midgard since I have no direction to point you in."

"Well, it's better than doing nothing!" she cried spiritedly. She then squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then stated calmly, "I'm sorry. It's just that…we have to get him back. There is no telling what Loki is doing to Thor. He might have already betrayed him."

Odin shook his head and replied, "I don't think we should be worrying about Loki right now. I think we should be worried more about Gaea."

"Gaea? Who's Gaea?" Volstagg asked.

Odin turned back around and stared across Asgard. "This knowledge goes no farther than who is currently here. Do you understand?" When he looked back to see them nod, he answered, "Gaea is Thor's biological mother." He heard Thor's friends inhale sharply, but he ignored it and continued speaking. "She is currently hiding Thor from me on Midgard. It's a place where I cannot see."

"Heimdall?" Fandral questioned.

"He cannot find him either."

The Warriors Three blew out shaky breaths while Sif gritted her teeth momentarily. "Don't see you, All-Father? This is why we must go to Midgard! We must find Thor! She might never let him go and we'd never see him again!"

Odin looked at the young woman and considered her words carefully.

=)=)=)

Oceanus paused at a double door that had several golden lightning bolts painted across its white surface. Or at least, Thor had initially believed it to be paint. When he scrutinized the doors a little more closely, he saw that the bolts were actually large pieces of shaped gold that had been fused with the white marble that surrounded it.

When he glanced back at Oceanus, he saw that the Titan was grinning brightly. "Mother always decorates our rooms to suit our particular gifts."

"Particular gifts?" Loki inquired with a brief squinty glare.

Oceanus nodded and opened the doors widely. Thor and Loki stepped into the room and their jaws dropped. The room had several stories to it that ascended to a glass ceiling that allowed them to see the Midgardian sky. This surprised the Asgardian brothers, because they had thought Gaea's home was completely underground. Before either could ask any questions on this, Oceanus answered Loki's initial question.

"All of Gaea's children have gifts. Thor is the God of Thunder. People have always assumed that he inherited that gift from Odin, but it is possible he received it from our mother, as well."

Loki frowned as he took in the very posh decorations of the bedchambers. The brothers observed that the room had couches and chairs made from various animal hides which were spread across his room obviously for company. There were even tables that were decorated with pictures from their past that they hadn't even known existed. There were several of Loki and Thor standing together when they were children. Curiously, Thor allowed his eyes to drift upward as did Loki. From there, they could see a few rooms on the second floor which probably contained several bedrooms, and as for the third floor, they couldn't tell apart from the glass ceiling.

Settling his eyes back on Thor's newfound brother, Loki asked, "And, what is your gift? I assume it is different than Thor's."

Oceanus nodded once and replied, "I can control water hence my name."

When Loki raised a brow disbelievingly, Oceanus lifted a hand and water suddenly flew from a faucet in the kitchen without having to turn the knob. It floated across the room in a straight line to the Titan. He then balled the water up and bounced it up and down in his hands without spilling a single drop onto the floor. The smirk he adorned annoyed Loki so much that he leaned towards Thor and mumbled, "Do light him up while he's holding that water. Let's see how funny he thinks that is."

Thor pursed his lips and then replied, "Now, be nice, Loki. He is my brother." At the intense frown that settled on Loki's face, he continued, "Just like you are, and I would very much appreciate it if you would try to get along, at least for now."

"At least for now?" questioned Loki. He was clearly shocked.

Thor shrugged and whispered with an even softer voice than he had before. "I don't know him or Gaea. Just because things are okay now doesn't mean there aren't reasons to be cautious. Father has problems with Gaea for a reason and I doubt all of them concern me."

"I should say they do," Loki responded.

"But we don't know that."

They pulled apart and noticed that Oceanus no longer had the water in his hands. The Titan was simply watching them again. When he was sure he had their attention, he said, "I'm pleased that you are here, Thor. Mother has wanted to meet and bring you here for so very long. I am very happy to meet you, too. I would like to get to know you and maybe one day you would consent to meet the others."

Thor nodded without glancing at Loki. His first instinct had been to turn to his younger brother, but he tensed to stop his neck from moving in that direction. "Maybe," he responded.

Oceanus continued to smile and said, "Well, I shall leave you now. I'm sure you and Loki have much to discuss since Mother wanted me to bring you here. I hope to see you both at dinner." With that, he stepped into the hallway and shut the door firmly.

As soon as they heard Oceanus' monstrous footsteps clobber down the corridor away from them, Loki turned to face Thor and commented, "He's kind of smug and yet soft. I don't like him."

Thor huffed and shook his head at his Loki's words. "Sometimes I think you don't like anybody, brother." He made his way to the staircase and continued speaking. "He has been nothing but hospitable so far to me _and you_. I meant what I said, I think you should try to get along with him while we're here."

He ascended the stairs and Loki quickly followed. When they got to the second floor, they opened several doors to find bedrooms as well as empty rooms that weren't decorated at all. Thor assumed Gaea left those empty so he could do something them. With a shrug, he made his way up to the top floor and gasped.

The room was completely made of glass and it was a bedroom. It was decorated with several wardrobes, dressers, and tables, but what caught his attention was the bed. It almost matched the bed he had in Asgard even down to the silver and red sheets. He approached it to get a better look when he noticed a picture frame that he didn't have in Asgard on the nightstand. He picked it up and turned it to examine the picture.

Immediately, Thor turned around and flopped down blindly onto the bed. He stared at the picture in his hand and held it so tightly that the glass broke.

Loki had arrived in the room in time to see the glass and Mjölnir fall to his brother's feet. "Thor, what is it?" he asked, making his way over to sit beside him. He looked at the picture and frowned. It was a miniature painting of Gaea and she was holding a tiny golden-haired baby that was obviously Thor in her arms. At that moment, Loki looked at his brother with genuine concern and Thor found himself focusing on him. It was the only thing either could do at that moment. "Are you okay?" Loki asked.

Thor looked back down at the picture and admitted softly, "I don't know. This is…all suddenly hitting me now, brother. Frigga really wasn't my mother. Gaea is." Thor set the picture back on the nightstand face downward, dropped his head into his hands, and asked, "Why would Father and Mother lie to me about this?"

"I don't know," Loki replied. He placed a hand on Thor's knee and squeezed it comfortingly as the skies around the room grew dark and thunder boomed softly in the distance.

Thor met Loki's gaze then and asked, "And, why is Gaea suddenly getting involved in my life now?" When Loki shook his head, Thor asked even more questions, "And, how could she give me up? _Why_ did she give me up?"

Loki shrugged and said, "Maybe you could ask her. We are here and she undoubtedly knows you will have questions."

Thor groaned and then replied, "I don't even know if I want to know now. This is a lot to handle."

"You do," Loki insisted. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here. You'd still be in Asgard, choosing to believe the All-Father's lies. You want to know, and at least you have someone to ask to answer all of your questions. I, unfortunately, am not so lucky."

Thor looked at his brother as lightning crackled across the skies and thunder boomed above them. As the rain suddenly began to pour, he mumbled, "I'm sorry, brother."

"For what?"

"I know this has to be hard on you. You have gone through something very similar, and I was not there for you as I should have been. I…hunted you and dragged you back to Asgard to go to prison. I…I've been an awful brother and I don't understand why you're here with me now after everything I have done to you."

Loki looked up at the skies as the storm intensified and asked, "I don't have to worry about your emotions cracking that glass over us, do I?"

Visibly startled, Thor snapped his head upward and looked at the sky. "I guess that answers my question if it is the real sky." Taking several deep breaths to palliate the storm surrounding them, he looked back down at his feet before closing his eyes once more.

=)=)=)

Odin stood beside Heimdall and smiled. Sif and the Warriors Three were behind them, standing silently, as they stared down into Yggdrasil from the Bifrost Bridge.

"Do you see it?" Heimdall asked calmly.

The All-Father nodded. "Yes, it's him. I know my son's storms anywhere. I may not see him, but he's there."

He turned to Thor's friends and said, "Your request is granted. Go to Midgard and bring my sons home."

"Sons?" they all questioned in shock.

Odin simply nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

The Truth About Lies Chapter 12

Thor sat on the bed calmly and stared down at his hands. The rain from the storm that his emotions had produced was still falling, but it was a lot calmer than it had been before. At that moment, he simply thought about all that he had learned that day: Gaea really was his mother and he was born merely so he could rule Asgard after his father’s reign and protect Earth. When he thought about it in such short terms, he knew it might not seem like a big deal and very obvious even before he knew of Gaea, but to him, the realization was catastrophic and it made him ask even more questions.

Why did Odin and Frigga hide his true parentage? Why did Odin feel the need to create his heir with Gaea instead of Frigga, who was a powerful woman in her own right? Did Odin love Gaea when Thor was conceived or had he been using her as Gaea now believed? What had Frigga believed at that time? Had she been okay with Odin sleeping with another woman to gain a son? How did that affect her relationships with both of her youngest sons? Neither was truly hers…

Loki and she had been close. Thor had mentioned it briefly earlier. Frigga had shared her gifts of deception with Loki. She had taught him how to project images and make others see illusions that weren’t really there. She had never even tried to show Thor. Was that because she was secretly resentful that her husband had lain with another woman and produced him?

And, he kept asking himself again and again why Gaea had willingly gave him up. He didn’t even know Gaea all that well, so he was surprised that the question hurt so much.

Taking a deep breath, Thor stood and he felt, more than saw, Loki stand beside him. “What should we do, brother?” he questioned softly.

“You’re asking me?” replied Loki. He was clearly surprised.

He shrugged. “There is no one else to ask.” He shook his head as he stared up at the sky above them. “I came here to talk with you privately about all of this, but I have no idea what I want to say. You said a moment ago that I have the opportunity to ask Gaea questions, but I don’t know if I want to do that right now. I suppose I could go back to Asgard and ask our father to explain his actions…but I know that wouldn’t end well. I just…don’t know how I should feel. Tell me where to go from here.”

Loki gripped his arm and suggested, “Do you want to go to the surface and blow off some steam? Throw a lightning bolt or two around?”

Thor couldn’t help the snort that escaped his mouth. His lips turned upward involuntarily and he quipped, “Yes, that would make me feel better: destroying things.”

“It’s always been your way before. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as no one gets hurt. Come on.”

Loki went to the staircase and started making his way down to the main floor. Thor reluctantly followed.

=)=)=)

When Thor and Loki stepped back out of the bedchambers, they paused to look around. They didn’t really know how to get outside. They knew not to go downstairs, because that would take them back underground, so Loki turned left. Thor followed and remarked, “Something tells me Gaea wouldn’t appreciate us rambling and snooping through her home.”

Loki shrugged. “We’re trying to find the front door. That’s hardly snooping. Besides, didn’t she say this was your home, too, if you wanted to stay here? That means we can go where we wish.”

Thor remained quiet and followed. After several minutes, they came across two large white marble double doors. Loki looked back at Thor and said, “Let’s try these, shall we?” He opened one of the door cautiously and stuck his head inside. Almost immediately, he gasped and stepped back.

The door suddenly opened wider and Gaea stood there. “Loki, Thor. Did you need something? I was just coming to check on you.”

Thor looked past Gaea and saw that Loki had been leading them into what appeared to be her study. It looked a lot like his father’s with books everywhere and comfortable couches and chairs just begging to be sat in.

Gaea stared at Thor and obviously noticed where his attention had gone. She backed up, widened the door even more, and said, “Come inside, please. We can talk privately in here.”

Thor snapped out of his momentary daze. He turned to her and replied, “We were looking for the front door. We were going to go outside.”

“Odin will find you,” Gaea replied matter-of-factly. She then sighed. “The truth is he might already be on his way here.” When the brothers widened their eyes, she explained, “I’m afraid the weather is a telltale sign that you’re here, my son. At least he doesn’t know the exact location, but if you go outside, he will. Besides, considering the weather, I thought you’d rather talk now.”

Thor looked at Loki. He was being offered an opportunity that his brother never got. He could ask his biological mother why he had been given up and so much more. Loki never met his mother and he had killed Laufey to protect Odin. He had to take advantage of this, he knew. How could he not? “Okay,” he mumbled. He stepped inside the room and Loki followed.

Walking to a couch, he stood beside it until Gaea gestured for them to sit. She didn’t waste any time getting to the point. She smiled at them and said, “I know you must have a million questions that we just scratched the surface on. What’s going on in that head of yours, Thor? I can tell you’re troubled.”

“Troubled?” he questioned. “I don’t know if troubled is the right word. Confused…that might be better. Betrayed…that might be even better.”

“Betrayed? How so, son?” she questioned softly.

Thor closed his eyes and said, “Stop. I can’t…You shouldn’t be calling me ‘son.’ Frigga died not too long ago and _she_ was my mother regardless of how it came about.” He met her gaze and stated firmly, “I don’t say that to hurt or reject you. I would like to get to know you and possibly build a relationship with you, but…you won’t take my mother’s place.”

“I never expected that, Thor,” Gaea agreed. “I know she is your mother. She raised you. I was just hoping you would be able to find a place for me in your life, as well.”

Ignoring that comment, he returned to his earlier statement and explained what he meant. “I feel betrayed, because…everyone hid the truth from me. I am not the person that I thought I was. I thought I was the son of Frigga and Odin. I thought I was a product of a loving marriage. I always knew Father wanted me to sit on the throne of Asgard someday. I knew he had an interest in Earth, even though he never explicitly expressed why to me.” He shook his head and closed his eyes briefly. “I understand why this might have been kept from me when I was a child, but I am not a child now and haven’t been a child for many years. Why did no one tell me? Why didn’t Father? Frigga? You?”

Gaea frowned and answered, “Odin and I had an agreement…”

Thor sneered at her and stood abruptly. “Why did you make such an agreement? How could you give me up? Why did you give me up?”

“I’m not sure if I can put the reasons into words,” she admitted.

“Try.”

“Odin and I were close. I don’t know what you’re thinking in those regards, but please don’t believe you were a mere business negotiation among royals.”

Thor walked away and threw over his shoulder, “Well, it sure seems that way.”

“You weren’t,” she insisted. “I believed at the time that Odin loved me. I loved him…I know you might not want to hear about that so close to Frigga’s death.”

Thor turned to look at her square in the eye. “So, it was an affair?”

Gaea looked down and answered calmly, “Not exactly. She knew. I know she did, and she accepted you with no hesitation. She wanted you just as much as the rest of us.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I knew you would have a better life on Asgard. In those days, Thor, my family and I were at odds constantly and I knew your father could protect you. Also, I knew he’d teach you the ways of Asgard and skills for fighting. And, I knew Frigga would love you. What more could I ask?”

Thor glared at her. “The ways of Asgard? Skills for fighting? Why did that even matter?”

“Life can be cruel, Thor. I won’t lie to you. I knew from the moment you were born that you would be a warrior whether it was for Asgard or for Earth; I knew it was your destiny. I wanted the best for you. I wanted you to have the skills and tools to win at your disposal. Your father could give that to you.”

“So, you gave me up to protect me? No ulterior motive?”

“What ulterior motive could I possibly have?” She walked to Thor’s side and grabbed his hand.

Loki surprised them by standing and speaking suddenly. “Please,” he stated sarcastically with a squinty glare as he held his head slightly downward. “You’ve already said that you bore children to be your own special little army for those pathetic mortals. Undoubtedly, you had designs for Thor to lead them. You wanted the power Odin could give him, as well as the army he might have as the future King of Asgard. This was all about you and not Thor. He’s merely an asset for you and Odin to exploit, nothing more.”

“That’s not true, Loki,” Gaea insisted, turning a glare to him.

“It’s not?” he spat. “Nothing you or Odin have done has shown me differently. Why do you want him here now? Why does he want him on Asgard? Truly?”

Gaea stepped in front of him and stated firmly, “I want a relationship with my son. That’s why he’s here now. As for Odin, I’ll admit I don’t know his motives. Maybe it is about the crown, but maybe it’s not.”

“I guess we’ll find out the truth about him…and you. And, trust me, I will find out.”

She raised an eyebrow and responded, “I have nothing to hide.”

Thor placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder and gripped it tightly. “Loki, this is not your fight or your problem.”

Loki turned to him abruptly and replied adamantly. “No, Thor, that’s where you’re wrong. It’s mine just as much as it is yours… _brother_.”

Thor was almost overwhelmed by the emotion that hit him in that moment. While Loki still called him “brother” from time to time after the recent strifes, until now, it had always been stated with sarcasm or even hatred. This time it was said with absolute sincerity. He knew at that moment that Loki had every intention of being beside him through this whole ordeal, no matter where it led. Loki still believed they were brothers, after everything…

He reached out, grabbed Loki, and hugged him. “You have no idea, brother…” he began.

“Please,” Loki said, pulling back with the slightest hint of a smile on his face, “let’s not make me regret my words.”

Thor chuckled. His brother had never been one for forays into emotional territory, especially with someone else present. “Of course,” he replied.

He turned to look at Gaea and saw that she was looking to their right. Her eyes weren’t really focused on anything—they were kind of blank, so it concerned him. “Gaea?” he questioned and touched her shoulder.

Calmly, she looked at him and said, “Your friends are on Earth. They’re right outside, looking for you.”

=)=)=)


	13. Chapter 13

The Truth About Lies Chapter 13

"Outside?" Thor questioned. "They're here? Now?" He didn't know why he was so surprised, but he was. He walked to the door and asked, "How do I get out there?"

Loki was the only one to respond right away. He placed a hand on Thor's elbow before his brother could walk out the door. "Are you sure you want to talk to them right now? If they're here, they are undoubtedly under orders from the All-Father to take you home."

Thor shook his head slightly as he stared into the hall. He was well aware of that fact, but he couldn't just let them roam Midgard for hours. "Perhaps if I show them that I am all right, they will go back to Asgard and…"

"And what?" Loki cried. "Tell Odin that you have decided to stay on Midgard with Gaea and me? Oh, he would just love that and accept it without any problems!"

Thor sighed and replied, "Well, they're not going to leave until they find me. They know I'm in the area, so they won't give up. I might as well tell them what I want to do."

Gaea took that opportunity to enter the conversation. "And, do you know what you want to do?"

He met her gaze and answered truthfully, "I want to stay here for now. I want to finish our discussion without interruptions and worrying about my friends. I need to speak with them to tell them exactly that. If I tell them what's going on, perhaps they will understand. I have always been able to convince them of what needs to be done in the past and now will be no different."

"As you wish, Thor. Follow me." Gaea brushed past him and walked into the hall. Thor quickly followed and held his hand out behind him as he walked. Within seconds, Mjölnir flew into his grip.

Loki walked beside him and commented, "Are you planning to fight them, brother? This should be interesting."

Thor glanced at him and stated firmly, "There will be no fighting. I just want to show them that I am prepared for it at a moment's notice, not to intimidate them but to show them that I am okay and will be okay should something happen here."

"Are you sure that's what they will read into this?" Loki gestured to Mjölnir. "They are rather dumb-witted, you know."

Thor stopped abruptly and said sharply, "I have told you, brother, not to make disparaging comments about our friends. They mean well and…"

"And, _I_ have told you that they have never been my friends!" he cried. " _They_ are partially why things have been so strained between us for so long!"

Thor wrinkled his brow at that bit of news. Loki had sounded so resolved. "What do you mean? They're not responsible for anything that has happened."

"HA!" Loki scoffed. "Do you not remember when we were kids? They scorned me. They didn't want me to be around and…"

"That was just childish antics of immature kids, Loki! You know I took care of that when I realized what they were doing!"

"Or so you thought." Loki countered acerbically.

Thor's brow furrowed even more and he licked his lips a little as he looked to the ground. He seemed deep in thought, but then he realized they couldn't talk about this right now. There were more pressing issues, so he replied to Loki, "We will talk about this later. I want to get rid of them for now, but I do want to hear more on the topic. I thought everything had stopped."

He turned to see Gaea in the distance waiting for them at a door. He looked at Loki and asked, "Is that okay?" When Loki nodded, Thor began to jog to her and he heard Loki following. When he reached her, he asked, "Is this the front door?"

She nodded. "Go east. You will find your friends there. Just so you know, I will be watching, so if you need help, it will be there in a moment's notice."

Thor nodded slightly and said, "I won't need it, but I thank you."

Before Thor could open the door, a loud voice shouted, "STOP!"

Thor and Loki looked back as Gaea smiled. Oceanus walked down the hall and asked, "What's going on? I heard the commotion. Are you leaving to confront someone, Thor?"

Loki eyed the Titan as he approached and replied almost uninterestedly, "We're going to talk to old friends who have been sent by Odin to take Thor back to Asgard."

Oceanus stared at his brother as soon as he reached the group. He asked, "Do you want to go back?"

"No," Thor answered, "but…"

Before he could say anything else, Oceanus interrupted him. "I will go with you, then."

Loki wrinkled his nose in obvious disgust and said, "He has me. We have no need for you to tag along."

Thor looked back and forth between Loki and Oceanus. Both were his brothers and they both wanted to stand at his side right now. While he was grateful for Loki's presence, he wasn't so sure about Oceanus. Regardless, his elder brother was making an effort to make him feel welcomed and a member of Gaea's family, so he could do nothing less in return. He nodded and said, "All right, you can come, but we are not going to fight. I just want to talk to them and explain what's going on."

"Thor!" Loki snarled. "I already told you that they are not…" At Thor's glare, he altered what he was going to say to make it sound friendlier to his brother's ears. "When they see this guy, they're going to take one look at him and think he's there to fight." Then, he lifted his brow slightly. "Well, maybe it would be a good thing after all." He turned to Oceanus. "You can come." He then proceeded to open the door and walk outside.

Thor rolled his eyes and looked at Oceanus. "They are my friends, so we're not going to fight them."

"As long as there is no reason to, I won't," his brother replied as he stepped outside to join Loki.

Sighing, Thor glanced at Gaea who replied with a grin, "You'll get used to Oceanus. He only wants to help and make sure you're okay. You _are_ his little brother, after all."

Without replying, he followed his brothers outside. Oceanus was already heading east whereas Loki was waiting for him. "You were right. I just might like him," Loki quipped.

"Oceanus isn't going to fight them," Thor assured Loki. He ran after the Titan quickly and within minutes, they found Sif and the others walking out of the forest towards them.

"THOR!" his friends cried when they saw him and began to run towards him.

Within a matter of seconds, though, Thor was surprised to see Oceanus step in front of him protectively. "Stop! That's close enough!" the Titan yelled menacingly with a staff in his hand that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. That's when Thor noticed it was shaped water, and he had no doubt that it packed much more of a punch than it looked like it did.

Thor stepped out from behind his brother and snapped, "We're not going to be handling things like this!" Loki grinned and sat on a nearby rock as he laughed at the Asgardians' expressions. They looked completely shocked that Thor apparently had a giant for a bodyguard.

They stood several feet away and Fandral asked concernedly, "Are you okay, Thor?"

He nodded in reply. "Of course, my friends." He held his hands out to show them that he was not injured or tethered in anyway.

Sif stepped forward and looked around. She saw Loki and glared at him. He merely grinned and waved happily in response. She rolled her eyes and glanced back at Thor. "So, there's Loki. Just where is _she_?"

Thor pursed his lips. "She?" he questioned after a slight hesitation.

"Gaea," Volstagg clarified.

Not giving Thor the opportunity to answer, Oceanus replied loudly, "My mother's location is hardly your concern. Instead, let's discuss why you're here!"

Sif and the Warriors Three gasped at the Titan's words. They stared at him disbelievingly with their mouths gaped open.

"Your mother?" she questioned. She turned her head to look at the others.

Hogan stared at the Titan and said, "If she is your mother, that means Thor is…"

"My brother," Oceanus answered firmly. He slapped his staff in his other hand warningly.

Thor knew this situation was quickly getting out of control. Oceanus was clearly showing hostility right now and so was his friends. "My friends, everything is fine. Let's just calm down and talk about everything peacefully."

Sif nodded and said, "Your father wants you and Loki to return to Asgard. He wishes to speak with you about everything that's happened…about Gaea, what happened with her and your birth…"

Thor widened his eyes. "He told you?" he questioned. He furrowed his brow as a shot of anger spread throughout his body. To think that the All-Father had told his friends before he told him, it infuriated him!

"No!" Hogan exclaimed. He must have recognized Thor's response. "No, he didn't tell us anything aside from the fact that Gaea is your mother!"

Thor calmed back down and replied, "If you know that, then you will understand why I must decline your offer to return. When you showed up, I was talking with Gaea about everything. I wish to hear what she has to stay before I return to Asgard."

Sif walked up to Thor, even though Oceanus clearly tensed as she approached. When she was within inches of Thor, she whispered, "We are under orders to bring you back to Asgard at any cost."

Thor saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and saw Loki rising from his seat to come to stand beside him.

Loki glared at her and asked, "And, you agreed to such an order?" He then shrugged and commented, "But I suppose that doesn't matter. After all, you go against orders all the time for Thor, so this time you will do no differently, as well. Run back to Asgard and tell Odin that his son will be back when he is through spending time with his _mother_. Until then, he can just deal with his precious Thor's absence."

Thor shook his head in annoyance at Loki's words. He was back to being called Odin's "precious Thor."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Sif insisted. "Thor needs to come back to Asgard now, and you do, too."

She reached out to grab Thor's wrist when suddenly the ground started to shake violently. Within seconds, everyone was on their knees or posteriors until the movement stopped. When it did, Thor looked around quickly to see if everyone was okay but saw something that made him gasp. Gaea was there, as well as others that he had never seen before, but they were just as large and impressive as Oceanus.

He stood as Gaea came to stand beside him as the others circled them. It was clear they were closing off all routes of escape.

He grabbed her hand when their eyes met. He pleaded, "I don't want there to be a fight right now! They are my friends!"

"Then, they will back down," Gaea said as she turned her attention to Sif and the others.

Loki laughed as he looked around. He stood on the other side of Thor and mumbled, "You have to admit, brother, that this is rather impressive."

Thor grimaced as he looked at everyone. He had no idea what to do, and for what seemed like the millionth time that day, the skies grew dark again, crackled with lightning, and boomed with thunder.


	14. Chapter 14

The Truth About Lies Chapter 14

One wrong move on either side would cause chaos to erupt. Thor knew that as he looked at his friends and saw their facial expressions, as well as their taut bodies. Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogan were ready for a fight, and as he looked around at the men and women who surrounded them, he knew Gaea's people were, too.

He wouldn't contemplate who they were right now or where they had come from. He had an inkling in the back of his mind since they had a resemblance and were just as big as the Titan beside him. All that mattered right now was stopping the forthcoming battle, and the problem was he didn't know how! He had to be honest with himself: usually he was the one who started them and he couldn't let that happen this time.

He turned pleading eyes to Sif and stated firmly, "Tell Father that I am well and there is no need to chase Loki and me. I will return to Asgard when I am ready and not before."

Sif actually looked sympathetic and replied, "Thor, your father says you're in danger and that it is imperative for you to return to Asgard with us." She looked at the woman beside him and continued, "You don't know her. Yes, she is your birth mother, but that doesn't mean she is worthy of your trust. She could betray you as quickly as Loki can."

Loki sneered when his name fell from her lips, but before he could retort with a scathing reply, Gaea beat him.

"Is that what Odin said? That Thor was in danger because of his own mother? Did he say that I would hurt him?" She frowned as she shook her head slowly a couple of times. "That man that you call All-Father is _not_ the one who should be trusted right now. _He_ is merely concerned with getting Thor back to Asgard and saying whatever he can to make it happen. You can tell Odin for me that his lies and schemes have caught up with him for once and this time he is _not_ going to win!"

Volstagg walked next to Sif and said, "I'm afraid we can't give that message, because he is going to win. Thor, let's go!"

Before Thor even knew what was happening, Volstagg had reached out to touch him. It looked like he was going to grasp him by the shoulder to perhaps speak with him softly, but his friend never made it that far. Instantly, Oceanus stepped between them and grabbed Volstagg's hand in midair. He applied a little pressure and Volstagg hissed in pain. Thor could see his friend reaching for his ax with his other hand.

"No!" he shouted and ran forward to grab his friend's arm. Between the both of them, Oceanus and Thor had him immobilized. Thor knew the situation was now dire. He knew what this could possibly look like to the others; it looked like he had chosen sides, so he shouted loudly, "Do not pull out any weapons! I do not want to fight with any of you!"

He looked over at Sif, Hogan, and Fandral. They looked just as concerned and confused as he felt, so he had an inkling of hope that maybe he could get through to them. Unfortunately, Volstagg rushed forward suddenly to jab his shoulder into Oceanus' stomach.

"NO!" Thor yelled as he tried to hold him back as best as he could, but it was too late. Oceanus was already responding to the attack. He dropped his hold on the man and swiped his massive hand across Volstagg's torso, which sent him flying backwards toward Sif and the others. Thor had almost flown over with him since he hadn't let his friend go, but Gaea and Loki grabbed him at the last second.

When Volstagg hit the ground, the others pulled out their weapons and crouched low. They were prepared to fight and were just waiting for the opportunity.

"I do not want to us to fight!" Thor yelled one more time.

As lightning from the emotional storm above them popped, he saw that his friends had no intention of backing down. He gritted his teeth for a moment in frustration and then lifted Mjölnir into the air. Lightning surged into the weapon and throughout Thor's body. When he looked back down, he immediately released the energy into the ground before him.

Dirt, rocks, and other debris spewed into the air, which caused everyone to hide their eyes until everything had settled. When they could open their eyes again, there was a ditch, which was at least five feet wide, between them. Thor knew it wouldn't stop his friends from reaching them if they really wanted to, but he knew it made a statement. He tried again to reason with them.

"My friends, I need for you to listen to me. I need to remain here in Midgard with Gaea and Loki. I will return to Asgard; you can tell my father that. I have every intention of coming home eventually, so there is no need for a battle here today."

Sif looked back at Hogan, Fandral, and Volstagg. Each nodded at each other simultaneously, and Thor felt instant relief. "Praise Od…"

But before he could finish his statement, Loki yelled, "It's a trick!" He pulled on Thor to move him back while Sif, Hogan, and Fandral jumped across the ditch to fight with Oceanus and Gaea. Before the trio could get their feet planted firmly on the ground, Oceanus rushed at them. While Thor ran and turned his attention to them to possibly help somehow, he lost track of where Volstagg was and what he was doing. It didn't take him long to figure it out when he heard his brother shout his name.

Volstagg had Loki on the ground and was placing immobilizers are on his wrists. Obviously, there were plans to take him back to Asgard as their prisoner.

Groaning, because he knew he had no other choice now, Thor ran towards his friend and brother! He came up beside Volstagg and pushed him to the ground roughly with Mjölnir before the other could secure the locks on Loki's wrists. Quickly, Thor removed the instrument and handed it to his brother. Without words, he gestured to Volstagg, and Loki grinned. "Oh, this should be fun!" he exclaimed as he watched Thor pull on his friends' wrists to hold them together.

"THOR! What are you doing?" Volstagg exclaimed with unmistakable surprise when Loki placed the device on his wrists and locked them securely.

Thor frowned, feeling absolutely guilty. He met his gaze and said, "I am sorry, but you left me with no choice." He, then, hauled Volstagg to his feet and turned around to see Oceanus and the others circled around Sif, Hogan, and Fandral. They were all but defeated. He knew this was the moment when he usually came in to save the day, and he would this time, as well.

"STOP!" he bellowed. "OCEANUS! GAEA! STOP!"

It was almost like it had been an order from a general, because the mob of Titans stopped as Gaea turned to look at him.

Thor rushed to the group, pulling Volstagg with him. "There has been enough fighting!" he exclaimed. He pushed his friend to the others and they caught him quickly as he tripped over some of the debris lying on the ground. Thor looked at Gaea and asked hopefully, "Can you send them back to Asgard without Heimdall's help?"

She grinned and with a confident smile, nodded.

As Loki stood beside Thor, they watched as the Midgardian goddess raised her hands. A bright light suddenly descended from the sky and surrounded his friends. Within moments, they were gone.

No one knew what to say immediately after. The silence was almost deafening before Loki remarked, "The battle didn't last nearly as long as I had wished, but I think it's still one of my favorites."

Oceanus and the other people around them started to laugh loudly, and they instantly ran towards one another hugging and congratulating themselves on a battle well won. Thor noticed that the sounds of merriment and cheers that had settled over the company were very reminiscent of the many celebrations in which his friends and he had attended after they had won in battle against others. It was surreal that he was present at one which celebrated his friends' defeat, if you could call it that.

Thor walked over to Gaea and remarked, "This is not a time to celebrate. They were my friends and I did not wish for you to fight them." Before she could reply, he looked around at the others present and shook his head. Even though he had already had suspicions, he asked, "Where did all these people come from anyway? I know they were not in your home earlier. Who are they?"

She smiled as Loki stood beside him. She answered simply, "They're your brothers and sisters."


	15. Chapter 15

The Truth About Lies Chapter 15

Odin stood abruptly when a bright light engulfed the throne room and suddenly Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, and Sif appeared out of nowhere. He knew without asking what had happened. Undoubtedly, Gaea thought it would be cute to send them to him straight away instead of to the Bifrost. She was trying to make a statement, to say that she was more powerful and had more control in this situation than he did.

He could not allow her to continue to believe that.

He looked down at his warriors and to cut to the chase asked calmly, "Did you even see Thor?"

The Warriors Three and Sif looked startled at their sudden arrival in the throne room. Regardless, Volstagg lifted his hands as Fandral worked on trying to get the hand immobilizers off and replied, "Yes, we saw Thor, all right. Loki and he are the ones who put these on me."

Odin stepped down from the throne and removed the immobilizer from his wrists with barely any effort. "What happened?"

Sif spoke without hesitation. "We found him outside the forest you sent us to. He was walking with Loki and this guy…"

Odin snapped his head towards her and demanded, "Describe him."

"He…he was big. He was taller than Thor and just as muscular. He claimed to be Thor's brother."

Odin cursed under his breath and Sif widened her eyes. "Forgive us for not succeeding to bring Thor home, my lord, but others showed up who were just as big as his brother. We were outnumbered, and with Thor resisting as well, there was nothing we could do."

"Did Thor say anything?" he asked.

She nodded. "He said he would return to Asgard, but he wanted to stay with Gaea for now to finish the conversation they had been having before we showed up. Should we go back after him, Your Highness? You said Gaea is dangerous. Do you really believe she could hurt him? Between her and Loki, they are clearly influencing him, so…"

Odin ignored her question and tuned her out. He walked away from the group and rubbed his beard as he pondered what to do next to bring his sons home.

=)=)=)

Thor looked around at the group of Titans around him and immediately felt overwhelmed again. It was one thing to meet Oceanus, but to meet this great number all at once was a bit much for his confused mind. He turned abruptly and walked away.

"Thor!" Gaea shouted.

He heard his brother speak to her. "Let him go. I'll speak with him."

Within seconds, Loki was beside him. "Brother, where are we going now?"

He kept walking and said, "Back to Gaea's home and my room. I don't want to…" His voice trailed off.

"If you don't want to meet them, then why are we going back to Gaea's home? We should go elsewhere," Loki reasoned. "Undoubtedly, with your arrival, they're all going to stick around until they speak with you."

Thor turned around to look at Gaea and her children. They were all huddle around her as she spoke to them. Every once in a while, a random Titan would look towards them and then back at their mother. He knew she was obviously talking to them about him, and he didn't know how to feel about their attention. It unsettled him, to say the very least. "Maybe we should go back to Asgard," he mumbled.

"What? After the fight that just occurred?" Loki asked sarcastically. "We'll be lucky if Odin doesn't throw us into confinement as soon as we step foot onto Asgard soil! You did just help Gaea's children defeat four of Asgard's toughest warriors."

Thor groaned and exclaimed, "I would hardly call that a battle, brother! I tried my best to ensure that it wasn't! Surely, Heimdall saw all, and my friends will not betray me. They will tell Father the truth."

"Which is?" Loki spat. "You don't know what they were thinking while they were here nor do you know what they will say to the Odin!"

Thor shook his head and asked exasperatedly, "Why do you hate them so much? There has always been this…hostility among all of you towards one another—I know that—but I never thought it had developed into hatred on your part."

"On _my_ part?" Loki repeated. "Brother, _that_ is the problem with you! Sometimes you act as nonsensically as they do! You are so blind to what goes on around you at times that it astounds me! Your friends have always treated me as your inferior, a nuisance that was simply there as your shadow. If I wasn't ignored, I was ridiculed. Do you honestly believe they are telling Odin that everything is fine and that you are well? Oh, I doubt that seriously. They will be sure to tell him that I'm influencing you so much that I had you help me subdue that oaf Volstagg!"

Thor ran his fingers through his hair and replied, "Maybe you're right. I don't know, brother." He swayed a little and abruptly sat down on a nearby rock. He looked up at the sky and asked, "Why can't they just leave us alone for a little while and give me time to think?"

Loki sat beside him and answered, "That's just it. They don't want you to think. Odin wants you to follow his orders without question. That's the way it has always been and when you defy him, there's trouble."

Thor glanced at him and asked, "Do you truly believe Father is out to hurt me or use me?"

Loki sighed and looked out across the open field in front of him. After about a minute, he answered, "Those are two very different questions with two different answers. Do I think Odin is intentionally trying to hurt you? No, I'll admit reluctantly that he probably isn't. He is simply obsessed with getting what he wants that he never really thinks about the damage he does to others. That's what I believe. Do I believe that he has every intention of using you? Yes. That much is obvious."

Thor swallowed roughly and whispered, "I don't know what to believe, but I do know this: the pain that Odin has caused you has undoubtedly been the cause of your actions. I once believed you had lost your mind and had become consumed with evil. I no longer believe that's the case… _but_ that doesn't mean I agree with your actions."

"How did we turn this discussion onto me?" Loki questioned with a smirk.

Thor blew out a breath and answered, "I just want to be clear that I won't be walking a similar path, brother. I understand your pain now. I know the betrayal that you feel, but I cannot turn my back on Asgard and my friends. I cannot hurt others to seek revenge. If I did that, I would surely lose myself as I believe you have at times."

"So, you're just going to let Odin continue his agenda? You're just going to take it like a coward?" Loki jumped up from his seat. "That's not the Thor I know!"

Thor shook his head and replied, "Things are going to change. I'm not as blind as I once was. Trust is something that is severely lacking in this family on all remaining sides, and I have to learn to accept that."

"Even with me?" Loki questioned.

Before Thor could answer, Gaea walked over to them and said, "Loki, Thor. Forgive me for intruding, but I wanted to ask you if you are willing to meet the others. They will not be staying for dinner. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed with their presence, but could I at least introduce you to them?"

Thor looked down for a moment and then at Loki. His brother was glaring at Gaea and frowning. He shook his head as he remembered the last words he had spoken to Loki. Trust was something he lacked even with Gaea and her children, but regardless of whether they were friend or foe, he should learn who they were to be prepared for either outcome. "Yes, I will meet them."

He stood reluctantly and stepped forward. He glanced back at Loki when he saw that he hadn't moved with him. He mumbled, "Come with me, brother."

Loki sneered and spat, "I don't take orders…" Then, he stopped his words when Thor's face crumpled as if he had been struck. He groaned and whispered, "The quicker I get you away from both your parents, the better. I truly believe you'll be able to breathe and think for yourself."

Thor smirked and asked, "Or would you simply try to make me believe as you do?"

Loki grinned playfully and answered, "Either way is better than the way you do now."

Thor chuckled despite himself.

=)=)=)

Thor and Loki followed Gaea back to the mob of Titans who stood near the ditch Thor had created earlier. Once they were within several feet of them, Gaea smiled at her children and said, "Everyone, he has agreed to meet you before you return home for the afternoon." She gestured towards Thor to come to her. He stepped to her side after a deep breath.

Thor stood straight and tried to be appear nonchalant as Gaea introduced him. "This is Thor, your brother."

Some of the Titans merely looked at him while some waved.

Gaea looked at Thor and Loki, who stepped beside his brother. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Oh, and this is Thor's brother, Loki. He is…Odin's…son, as well."

Loki glared over at her but kept quiet. At first Thor thought he would exclaim that Odin was not his father, so he was surprised when his brother kept quiet. Then, he wondered if he didn't because of who they were meeting. Thor was currently meeting his blood brothers and sisters. If Loki claimed not to be Odin's son, the Titans might believe that Loki really wasn't his brother. He glanced at Loki hopefully before looking at the Titans and nodding once.

Gaea gestured to one of her children and he stepped forward. Like Thor, the giant had blond hair and blue eyes. He stood just as tall as Oceanus and grinned warmly. "Thor, this is your brother Coeus." The brothers gripped each other's forearms tightly.

"Hello, Thor," Coeus said in greeting. "We are so pleased you are here with Mother and we are getting the opportunity to meet you. We have wondered a lot about you over the years. We've seen you, especially recently, so you can imagine how happy we are now that this moment as arrived."

Thor simply nodded but didn't say anything. He was a little uncomfortable, because he didn't know what pleasantries to say since he knew nothing about these people.

Another Titan stepped forward when Coeus pulled away.

"This is my youngest aside from you. His name is Cronus," Gaea informed him. "I believe Oceanus mentioned him to you earlier." She then winked at Cronus and said, "He is what you could call the leader of the group despite his youth compared to the others."

Thor took in the other's appearance. He actually reminded him a lot of himself: blond hair, blue eyes, determined stare, exuded confidence, and much more. He extended his hand and Cronus gripped his forearm as he looked at his mother. "Is he to be your second-in-command or your first now that he is here?"

Thor widened his eyes as Loki whispered, "I knew it."

Gaea cleared her throat and said, "We'll discuss that later. Thor is merely visiting. He is not joining us in any other operation at this time. He is merely a member of this family."

Cronus met Thor's eyes with his own and said, "For someone so small, you have quite a big reputation. I would like to spar with you one day. I look forward to it."

Loki straightened and stated firmly, "Look forward to being laid flat on your ass."

Cronus and Thor raised their brows before the former laughed loudly. He looked at his mother and said, "I like him." He looked at Loki and asked, "Will I spar with you, too?"

Thor shook his head, but Loki answered, "Perhaps. We'll see when the time comes."

Thor noticed that Loki looked at Cronus sinisterly. He was definitely scheming. "Brother," Thor hissed softly.

"It's okay, brother," Loki replied. "Everything is fine; I'm just having a bit of fun."

Gaea continued to introduce her other children: Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Tethys, Theia, and Themis. Each gripped Thor's forearm and expressed their pleasure at meeting him.

As soon as Themis had stepped away and Thor had turned to Gaea, he stated, "Now that I've met everyone, I would like to return to my room until dinner. It's been a long day and…"

Suddenly, a loud boom was heard. Thor knew what it was instantly. He grabbed Loki's forearm and pushed him back a little. Suddenly, Odin was there on Sleipnir.

"Gaea," Odin exclaimed as soon as the light faded, "you have introduced them. Now, you have no other reason to keep my sons here! If you follow, I will consider it an act of war!"

Instantly, the Bifrost activated again and took Odin, Sleipnir, Thor, and Loki back to Asgard.

As soon as they stepped onto solid ground, Thor and Loki were surrounded by guards. Thor lifted Mjölnir and Odin shouted, "If you want to keep it, I suggest you lower it and not used it against me and your people!" He had his palm extended as he did the one time he had taken Thor's powers from him.

"Thor," Loki said, tightening his grip on his brother's forearm. He whispered in his ear. "Live to fight another day. Besides, Gaea will come."

Odin smirked and, obviously hearing his words, replied, "I hope she does." He turned to the guards and said, "Take them to Thor's bedchamber. The preparations are ready, I assume?"

"Yes, All-Father," several answered at once.

Odin walked over and simply took Mjölnir out of Thor's hand. "You'll get this back later." Odin then placed hand immobilizers on both him and Loki.

"So, you are really going to arrest us because Thor was curious about his own mother!" Loki spat. "I expected nothing less from you, Odin!"

"I will speak with you later. Take them now before Gaea arrives!"

Soon, Thor and Loki were being pushed back towards the palace. Loki shook his head and spat, "I should have known he would take Mjölnir."

"Calm yourself, brother," Thor said. "When he sets it down, I can call it to me. He didn't break my connection with it. Besides," he looked up at the skies with a smirk. "Father cannot take all of my powers."

Soft thunder was heard as a small lightning strike flashed across the sky.

Loki widened his eyes and then grinned. He glanced at the soldiers, catching onto his brother's intent, and exclaimed, "But you're not as accurate in your control without Mjölnir! You could hit us or them!"

Thor glanced at Loki and smirked at the guards, who were listening to their conversation intently. Their faces showed clear signs of worry. "Actually, I never tried without Mjölnir since receiving it, brother. Who knows if I have better control with or without it now?"

Loki laughed and then with a smirk, he added, "Either way, we're bound to have a lot of fun…"


	16. Chapter 16

The Truth About Lies Chapter 16

Thor felt the guards' hold on him loosen as the lightning continued to pop across the sky. He grinned when a particularly loud sound of thunder scared them so much that they let go. Almost immediately, though, they remembered their jobs and grabbed him again.

"Please, Prince Thor, we're only doing our job!" one guard exclaimed as he kept his eyes upward and hunched his back a little more each time he saw a lightning strike or heard thunder.

Thor felt minutely sorry for them—he did realize that they were merely doing their job, but with that job came the knowledge that there was bound to be fights and trouble. They knew that. Of course, they probably hadn't counted on having to fight their own princes from time to time.

Loki, on the other hand, didn't seem to feel at all sorry. He spat, "And, _we_ are only doing what we have to do so we can escape. It's nothing personal." He met Thor's gaze and nodded before tilting his head upward.

He knew Loki wanted him to do something now, so he took a deep breath, focused on the elements around them, and looked up at the sky as the guards continued to push them toward the city. Soon, the wind picked up, rain descended, and lightning shot into the water all around them, which caused it to splash into the air with a frightening intensity. Within seconds, they were soaked, but Thor wasn't through, yet. He lifted his hand in the air as if he were holding Mjolnir and instantly a large lightning bolt hit the bridge maybe ten feet ahead of them.

The impact shocked even Thor as everyone fell down. That wasn't quite what he had been going for—he had wanted the lightning to come to him—but it would do. He scrambled to his feet and pulled Loki along. "Go! Go!" he yelled.

The brothers took off down the bridge toward the city and the guardsmen quickly stood up to follow.

"Do something, brother!" Loki yelled as he started to fall behind. Thor grabbed onto him to pull him along, but Loki stumbled almost immediately.

With no hesitation at all, Thor immediately turned around and as Loki got back to his feet, he yelled, "Go!" He then faced his father's soldiers and calmly waited for them to catch up. Once they were there, the guard who had spoken earlier beseeched him. "Please, Your Highness, we are simply taking you to your room. We are not confining either of you to the dungeon. What you do from there is not our responsibility."

Loki stepped to his brother's side and Thor jumped a little.

"I thought I told you to run. This diversion is pointless now!" he complained.

Loki ignored him. "Why is Odin sending us to his room?" he asked the soldier. His eyes moved from one guard to another quickly. "It's a trick," he mumbled. He glanced at Thor. "If we go to your bedchambers, we might not get out again, brother."

Thor met Loki's eyes and could see that his brother firmly believed his words. He gritted his teeth a little before turning to the guards and said, "Loki and I are leaving. If you feel the need to try to stop us, you can do so, but you will not succeed."

"We have to try, Prince Thor," the same guardsman replied.

"So be it."

Quickly, Thor and Loki turned to run down the bridge again. They had just stepped foot onto a city street when the Warriors Three and Sif stepped before them. They paused as Thor exclaimed, "My friends! You must help us escape!"

Volstagg looked at the others and then shook his head. "Escape what? Your home?"

Fandral frowned and added, "Your father is merely trying to help you, Thor. You should do as he asks and listen. Gaea is not to be trusted and Loki isn't either."

Thor turned slightly to see what looked to be a flash of pain and then anger settle on his brother's face before it morphed into a condescending smile. As his brother laughed—he knew Loki was trying to get under the others' skin and it was working—Thor pursed his lips and replied, "You don't know that. You don't know Gaea, and Loki is my brother. He will not betray me this time…"

Sif jumped a little, almost as if she had been startled. Thor even noticed that Loki looked a little shocked as Sif admonished, "Thor, after everything he has done, how can you say that? How can you even believe it? You said so yourself not all that long ago that Loki had gone too far. You said what he had done was unforgivable."

He looked down at the ground for a moment. When he met her gaze again, the guards had finally caught up and surrounded them. He answered her anyway. "Loki has done the irreversible. He has committed many wrongs, but they were actions brought on by pain and betrayal. I understand that now. I'm not saying I condone what he's done, but after everything he has been through and after he helped all of us with the elves, he deserves a second chance and I'm going to give it to him."

"To what end?" Hogun asked. "How many times must he stab you in the back before you realize he is your enemy? He doesn't see you as his brother. You're a conquest to overcome, Thor, and the sooner you realize that…"

Almost immediately Loki snapped, "You don't know what I'm thinking or what motivates me! None of you do—you never did!"

Thor rested a hand on his brother's forearm to calm him and glanced around them to assess the situation they were in. He was determined more than ever to escape. He wasn't through talking to Gaea and he wasn't through healing his relationship with his brother. He knew now that was what he wanted, and he also knew his friends and father were never going to allow that to happen willingly.

Just as Thor looked to the skies again and the lightning cracked, a loud boom was heard in the distance. Thor turned around to see bright lights flashing inside the Bifrost. He also heard the sounds of weapons firing. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with the desire to go back and help. The only question was he didn't know who he would help once he got there. Odin was his father, but he was undoubtedly fighting Gaea and her children and they were his mother and siblings.

"Thor!" everyone yelled as he took off running and pushed some soldiers out of the way as he ran back towards the Bifrost. He didn't turn around to see who was following him, even though he could hear their footsteps. All that mattered to him at that moment was getting back to his father and Gaea.

What he saw once he got there stopped him cold…


	17. Chapter 17

The Truth About Lies Chapter 17

His breath lodged itself in his throat as he stared at the scene before him. Never in a million years did he think he'd ever see such a sight, and it tore him in a million different directions. Bodies scattered the room—Titans and guards alike—but none of them seemed to be dead. They were merely stunned or knocked unconscious. But what stood on the far side of the room held him transfixed:

His father and Gaea were face-to-face, each with their weapons drawn and pointing them at the other. Odin was on one knee, looking up as Gaea towered over him. She actually had the advantage over the All-Father!

Every muscle and fiber in his being called out to him to save his father, but when he took a step forward, he remembered that this was his mother and she was fighting for him! It left him speechless and with an almost impossible choice to make.

"Gaea," he whispered, not able to get out anything else.

She didn't seem to hear him, but luckily, Oceanus, who was picking himself off the floor slowly with his spear did. "Thor," he called out. He turned to Gaea and exclaimed, "He's here, Mother! We can go back to Earth!"

The Midgardian goddess chanced a glance over at her youngest son before glaring back at the man before her. "Not until Odin and I come to an understanding," she hissed.

Odin raised his chin and stated proudly, "We will never have an understanding, not when it comes to Thor. He is my son and you are not going to take him from me."

Thor watched as Gaea tightened her hands on her spear and her frown turned into a hate-filled scorn. "Gaea," he said again, a little more loudly this time. Before he could move even two steps forward, he heard someone call out from behind him.

"Thor!"

He turned around to see his friends and Loki. They seemed to be just as shocked as he was at the scene in front of them. "Let me handle this," he told Sif when he saw her concerned face.

He moved across the room towards his parents—it seemed odd to think of them that way—and said softly, "I don't know for sure what happened all those years ago, but is it really worth all of this fighting and chaos?"

Odin slowly got to his feet but kept his eyes and Gungnir on Gaea. "You are worth it, Thor. You are my son, my heir. You…and Loki…are all I have left now."

Before Thor could reply, Loki shouted, "You don't have me! You don't even have Thor! Your schemes and lies have seen to that!"

Odin frowned and almost looked defeat until Thor stepped between him and Gaea. He pushed Gungnir towards the floor and Odin willingly lowered it. "Son, just listen to me. Give me a chance to explain."

Gaea stood beside Thor and spat, "You've had 2,000 years to explain and you never did, not once!"

He gritted his teeth and lifted his weapon slightly but didn't point it at anyone. "We had an agreement. I was abiding by it. You cannot fault me for that."

"But I can," Thor replied. "Why? Why did you decide to keep my true parentage a secret in the first place?"

"I do not want to explain in front of her. Please, come back to Asgard and we'll talk."

Loki ran to Thor's side and said, "Don't, brother. He has every intention of keeping you here. He won't let you leave again."

Odin frowned and said, "Just as I've tried to keep you here, Loki? You have still manage to escape time and time again. I'm sure you both would find a way out again if I did try."

"That's hardly comforting," Loki remarked as he looked at his brother.

Thor took a shaky breath and looked around the room. He watched in dismay as guards and his siblings slowly got to their feet. While none were seriously injured, some were obviously in pain. He looked back at Odin and said, "Look around you, Father. You have always said that the test of a good king's decisions will always be their results." He paused and looked around again. When their eyes met once more, he continued, "All we seem to do is fight nowadays and we're involving others. This can't be what you wanted. Not to mention, Loki is estranged from us because of decisions you and Mother have made. Now, I am here in the same situation…"

Odin simply stood there and asked, "Do you plan on following in Loki's footsteps, my son? Do you plan on leaving and hating me?"

Thor felt tears rush to his eyes, but he refused to let anyone see them. He brought a weary hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. "No," he answered eventually. "I don't seek vengeance on Asgard or its people. I just…want a straight answer from you for once."

"What if there isn't a straight answer?" Odin asked. "What if the decision was made for a number of reasons and not all of them are completely logical?"

"Then, I want to hear what they are, anyway."

The All-Father nodded and mumbled, "It seems I have no choice. I will warn you, Thor—you won't like all the answers."

"I didn't imagine that I would."

Oceanus stepped beside Thor, grabbed his shoulder comfortingly, and mumbled, "So, are you going to Asgard now, brother?"

It was so strange to hear the term "brother" from someone other than Loki, but somehow it felt natural, as well. He nodded and said, "I need to talk to my father. I'm sure you can understand that."

"And, what about us?" Oceanus asked. There was a tinge of anger in his tone. "What about Mother?"

Before the Titan could say anything else, Thor answered, "I will return to Earth as soon as I'm through discussing things with my father. I do want to get to know all of you."

Gaea moved to stand in front of Thor. She cupped his cheek tenderly, and he had to force himself not to move away. Only Frigga had touched him like this in the past, so it was nearly painful to have Gaea mimic the action. "If you do not return within twenty-four hours, we'll assume Odin is holding you prisoner and we will come back for you. Deal?"

"He will not hold me prisoner," Thor insisted.

She shrugged and replied, "Then, no one has anything to worry about." She immediately turned back to her children and announced, "We're going back to Midgard. We will see Odin again at another time." She turned to the All-Father then and smirked. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" She laughed as Odin frowned, but he didn't say anything.

It wasn't until they left through the Bifrost that Odin turned to Thor and spoke. "I didn't want you to invite that woman into our lives! She is a threat to Asgard, and…"

Loki jumped beside his brother quickly, flailed his arms, and said, "Whoa! I do believe you made an agreement just a few moments ago. Since your explanation of why you didn't tell Thor the truth is that you were abiding by terms you had previously made, that means you take your oaths quite seriously. Shouldn't you be discussing your dealings with Gaea right now instead of berating Thor for his?" He flashed his most innocent smile as Thor sighed at their interaction.

Odin didn't respond to Loki, even though his words had effectively ceased the All-Father's desire to chastise Thor. Instead, he stared around the room for a moment, noticing everyone who was present. He obviously didn't wish to speak in front of them, because he ordered, "Follow me, then. We will discuss this in the council chamber privately."

When Odin walked away, Loki glanced at his brother and mumbled, "I wonder if he's forgotten about arresting me. What do you think, brother?"

=)=)=)

As they left the Bifrost, Thor held out his hand to call Mjolnir to him. It had undoubtedly been placed on the floor when Gaea had shown up earlier. He wondered why his father hadn't used it—he certainly had the ability.

He walked faster and when he was directly behind Odin, he asked, "Father, why did Gaea have an advantage over you? You were on your knees and Mjolnir was nearby. Why didn't you use it?"

"Who said she had the advantage?" Odin asked, not pausing in his stride. "Maybe I wanted her to think she did. Or, maybe I simply did not wish to hurt her."

"Or maybe she did have the advantage and your pride can't take admitting it," Loki quipped.

Odin sighed but still continued to walk. "All questions will be answered soon, but I will say this: I was not in danger of being defeated regardless of what it might have looked like."

Thor glanced over at Loki, who continued to smirk. He clearly didn't believe Odin. As for him, he didn't know.

=)=)=)

Once they reached the palace, everyone departed from the Royal Family as they headed towards the council chamber. Thor didn't bother saying goodbye to his friends. He had too much to worry about right now, and he knew he'd have the opportunity to catch up with them and discuss everything later. He was sure they would understand eventually if they didn't now.

As soon as they stepped into the chamber, Thor was surprised to feel the awkwardness that had suddenly settled in the room. It seemed as though the All-Father didn't know how to begin and Thor didn't know how to ask. Watching his father stand in the center of the room just like he had when Thor had first seen him with Gaea, he knew he would have to be the one to get things started. "I'm here," he stated, matter-of-factly. "I have trusted you and returned to Asgard despite the hesitancies that I have. You said you would tell me the truth. Why did Mother and you keep this a secret from me for so long? You should have told me."

Odin gestured towards the table and said, "It's not easy to simply jump into answering that question, Thor. There is so much more to discuss before I can get to that one. Would you allow me to start from the beginning?"

When his son nodded, he sat at the head of the table while Thor took a seat to his right. Loki sat beside his brother and not on the All-Father's other side like he used to in the not so long ago past.

"There is no easy way to say this with a lot of eloquence. I hate that I have to discuss this in the first place, since it was something Frigga never wanted to see the light of day, but you are insisting."

"Hiding behind Mother," Thor heard Loki comment under his breath, but he ignored the words. Instead he focused on his father.

"I'm sorry that I'm forcing you to talk about something that is against Mother's wishes, but I must know. She is not here now to feel the pain, but I am. I need to understand what happened and why I am here."

"The answer to why you are here is actually quite simple," Odin replied immediately. "We wanted you: me, Frigga, and Gaea. But I will admit we did have some very different reasons for why we wanted you."

Thor gulped and asked, "And, what are those reasons?"

Odin reached out a hand and gripped his son's firmly. "I have already told you once, but you never seem to believe it: Frigga and I wanted a son." He paused for moment and then shook his head. He continued, "Obviously since everyone thought you truly were our son, what I'm about to say hasn't been discussed before. No one knows besides us. The truth is Frigga and I…we were unable to conceive a child of our own, so we sought alternatives."

Thor and Loki gasped. When they looked at each other, they realized that they should have figured that out as soon as they realized neither one of Odin's sons were Frigga's biologically, but they hadn't.

Thor breathed deeply to draw courage and asked, "And, somehow you convinced Gaea to help and give up her own child?"

Odin shook his head. "She had her own reasons, and it wasn't as selfless as you are making it sound. Oh, at first she had claimed that she simply wanted to help because she loved me and liked Frigga, but those were lies. She had a purpose for you, Thor, one that she still wants you to fulfill."

Thor stared at his father as calmly as he could and asked with a slightly shaky voice, "And, what is that purpose?"

"War," Odin stated simply. "She wants war, death, and destruction, and she wants to use you to do it as the leader of her own personal army. That's only one reason why I took you away from her."


	18. Chapter 18

The Truth About Lies Chapter 18

Thor sat in silence as he contemplated his father's words. As much as he didn't want to admit it or believe it, he knew Odin's story was entirely possible. In fact, it fit so perfectly. Frigga couldn't have children, so the Asgardian monarchs had sought other means to obtain their progeny. Odin fathered a child with another woman and they adopted Loki. It made such perfect sense that he was surprised he hadn't thought of it before. The bigger revelation, however, was Gaea's supposed reasons for wanting a child with Odin.

Thor didn't know what to think.

Odin claimed that Gaea wanted war. He thought about Cronus' question to Gaea when they had first met. He had questioned if Thor would be her first or second in command now that he had arrived on Earth and they were together. It very much sounded like his brother had expected him to join their little family army immediately, but Gaea hadn't entertained the question. She had stated that Thor was there merely as a member of their family and not joining any operations at that time.

It confused him, because surely if Gaea was all about building her army and wanting her youngest son to lead them, she would have seized the opportunity to discuss it when Cronus had asked. Instead, she had avoided it.

Besides, he couldn't help but notice how hypocritical his father was being in his observations of Gaea. He lifted his head from the table and stared at Odin. "Am I supposed to be wary of Gaea because she has an army?" he questioned. At his father's slight nod, he shook his head slowly and then asked, "Then, how am I supposed to feel towards you?"

When Odin wrinkled his brow perplexedly, Thor continued, "You have given me no doubts in the expectations you have had for me over the years. You may have very much wanted a son, but I believe Gaea when she told me that you wanted a powerful son who would be strong on Asgard and Earth. You, yourself, implied that I was to be an asset if Asgard ever went to war with Midgard. How are your reasons so different from Gaea's? Didn't you have similar ideas when you adopted Loki? If I am to be wary of motives surrounding my birth, shouldn't I contemplate yours, as well?"

Odin's look of frustration told Thor all he needed to know. He knew the All Father could not counter his argument—Odin was very much guilty of what he had accused Gaea of. He had ulterior motives for wanting a son with Gaea, too. The knowledge left Thor feeling utterly isolated and alone. He was merely a pawn in a large game of chess, or rather the knight. He looked over at Loki and knew with certainty that _this_ was how his brother must have felt when he realized Odin had wanted to one day use him to forge an alliance with Jotenheim.

Loki pursed his lips together and asked softly, "What do you want to do now, brother?"

He closed his eyes momentarily before he shrugged. He looked back at Odin and asked, "Why does she have an army now? What war does she want? Is it against Asgard?"

Odin stood from the table and turned his back on them. "First and foremost, Gaea fights for Earth. That is her top priority. She had her children so she could protect the planet and humans from others around the universe."

Thor nodded. Gaea had admitted that to him herself. "She already told me as much." When his father spun around to face him with an angry expression, he added, "At least she is forthcoming with such details. She hasn't hidden it from me."

Loki rolled his eyes and muttered, "Unlike some people."

Odin sighed, ignored Loki's comment, and sat back at the table. "What do you want from me?" he asked suddenly. "I cannot change the past. The only thing I can say is that Gaea, Frigga, and I wanted you from the very start. There were a number of reasons and not all of them were altruistic, but Frigga loved you. I love you."

Thor nodded slowly as he looked back down at his lap. "And, are you so quick to judge that Gaea does not?"

"What loving act has she shown you?" Odin questioned. "I do not know of one thing she has done for you over the years."

Thor bit his lip as the desire to defend his biological mother consumed him. "She gave me up, first of all!" he exclaimed.

"You think that's a good thing?" Odin asked, shocked.

Thor shook his head erratically and said, "I don't know, but I had a good life. She knew Frigga wanted me. She knew I would have a better life with you on Asgard. She told me as much! She allowed Frigga to be my mother. I don't think that's selfish! She's watched me over the years as I've grown up. She hasn't told me how, but she told me she helped me from time to time." He bit his lip and added, "She has kept a room for me in her home my entire life. It's decorated specifically for me. My bed there matches the bed I have here, so she's aware of what I have and my taste. She knows about Sif and Jane. She knew about Loki and his parentage. She knows a lot about me, so it shows that she cares…"

"But _why_ does she care?" Odin asked firmly. "Answer that."

"Could it be that she cares simply because I am her son? Is that so hard to believe?"

"Quite frankly, yes. I know Gaea far better than you do, my son. You believe Loki is the God of Mischief and Lies, but Gaea is capable of those things, as well. Loki could learn a thing or two from her."

Loki stood and folded his arms across his chest. "Just like I've learned a lot of those things from you over the years."

The room filled with silence once more. Eventually, Odin sighed, closed both eyes, and rubbed his temples slowly. "I do not want to fight with either of you right now. Just heed my words, Thor. Gaea is not to be trusted. She will use you if she can. You must not allow that to happen."

Thor stood and stared at his father. Once again, he felt lost.


	19. Chapter 19

The Truth About Lies Chapter 19

The question of what he should do throbbed in Thor's mind. He knew a lot was at stake with whatever choice he made here today. His father was giving him a lot of warnings about Gaea, but he didn't know if he should take them to heart. Oh, he knew he had to be cautious—he knew that from the beginning, but his father wanted him to do more than that. The All-Father wanted him to be suspicious and untrusting towards her. His father didn't want him to like Gaea at all and his whole approach to her was pulling his heart in two different directions.

If he were truthful with himself, he knew he had felt this way for quite some time, even before he had actually known about Gaea. Midgard had become an issue between him and his father long ago, ironically. He had always loved the realm and enjoyed every visit, but after his father had banished him from Asgard two years ago and he had actually spent some quality time there, he found that he loved it even more. At first, of course, he believed it was Jane's presence that made Earth so appealing, but now he knew she wasn't the only reason…

He had a real connection with Earth. If Gaea was to be believed, the realm was a part of him…and he had no reason to not believe it. He felt it within himself every time he was there—he knew that now—and his father certainly feared the planet enough to give the idea credence. Odin had never liked when his son visited Midgard and most of the time, he would only allow it when something dire was going on that had to be fixed.

Thor sighed as he realized as much as he didn't want to, he would have to make a choice and ironically it coincided with so many other debates in his life: Did he want to rule Asgard? His mind kept going back and forth on that issue, and he honestly didn't know. Then, there was the question of Jane or Sif, and that issue tied into the question of whether he wanted to rule Asgard or live on Earth…and of course, that tied in with this whole situation between his father and Gaea. It was like everything in his life was lining up down two distinct roads and he had to choose one or the other. There was no middle ground, because both roads led to two completely different locations.

And, because of that, he was at a loss.

He looked at his father and then at Loki. His brother was the only thing right now that brought him any peace of mind. He knew Loki would still be there for him no matter what choice he made and the thought made him chuckle a little. Not all that long ago, he believed that his brother and he would never find common ground again and that they were lost to one another, but look at them now. He supposed he had to thank his father and Gaea for that. This whole ordeal had brought them back together in a way…

"I'm not sure if I like you laughing while you're looking at me, brother."

Loki's words brought him out of his reverie and he realized he was still staring at his sibling. "I'm apologize, brother. My mind was miles away."

Thor watched as Loki turned his attention to their father who was still standing there, waiting for a reply. He smirked and questioned, "On Midgard?"

He knew Loki had asked the question to hurt Odin or at the very least make him worry. Regardless, he answered the question honestly. "Yes, but it's here, as well. I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do."

Odin placed his hands on the table that separated him from his sons and leaned over it slightly. "What you're supposed to do?" he repeated. He sounded a little angry, or perhaps it was slightly annoyed. "That's simple, Thor. You are my son, my heir. What you are _supposed_ to do is put your people first and sit on the throne of Asgard. Help me to protect the Nine Realms and forget about this foolishness with Gaea."

Loki immediately grabbed his brother's forearm to stop any response he might have had. It seemed he had something to say: "My, you are full with a lot of advice today, but let me give you a couple of things to ponder. You said Thor should put his people first, but thanks to all the recent revelations, we know Thor's 'people' are also the people of Earth, and…"

Thor placed his other hand on Loki's and squeezed it gently to quiet him before he pulled away to walk around the table to face Odin. "Father," he said softly, "I've always felt this pull towards Midgard. You know it and I know it. I never understood it until now, but now I do. I see why you fear the realm and hate my fascination with it. You are worried that my interest in Midgard might override my interest in Asgard." He shook his head and continued, "That can never be. I was raised here, Father. Most of my family and friends are here, and I would never betray you or them. Surely, you know that."

Odin stared at his son unblinkingly for so long that eventually he had to bring a hand to his eyes to rub them thoroughly. Afterward, he sat down at the table and said, "I'll admit that fear has always been there, but there's more to it." He looked up and stared into Thor's eyes. "I'm genuinely concerned for you. Gaea is not Frigga; they are nothing alike and I don't want you to confuse them. Frigga loved you and died protecting us. Gaea is not so altruistic. She will betray you, my son, and it's so frustrating, because I know you don't see that."

Thor sat beside him, then placed both hands on the table, and folded them together. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I will remember your warnings, Father. I promised Gaea I would return in twenty-four hours, so we could continue getting to know one another. I plan on keeping my word, but I want you to know that I will return to Asgard and we will talk about what she has said and whatever else you want to add." He then opened his eyes and stared at him. "That is all I can offer you right now."


	20. Chapter 20

The Truth About Lies Chapter 20

Thor sat alone in his bedroom, staring at Mjölnir as all the emotions he had endured over the last several days rushed to him at once.

He was still angry at his father; he was even angry with Gaea, but he couldn't let that particular feeling get in the way of what needed to be done. He learned that the hard way, after all.

So, instead, he sat contemplating what he was going to do. Like he told his father, he was definitely going back to Midgard. He wanted to talk to Gaea about everything. A million questions were bombarding him now that he finally accepted wholeheartedly that she was his mother and not Frigga: What did it mean that she was Mother Earth? What did that make him truly? Also, all the powers he had...he thought he received them from his father. Did he have other powers since he really was the son of a goddess…

That was unbelievable in its own right. His friends and he had all made jokes over the years at the foolish mortals of Earth, who had for hundreds of years, idolized them as gods. As Father had pointed out so often when they were kids, Asgardians live and die just like mortals—they're just stronger, have powers, and live longer. Yes, those were big differences, but it didn't make them gods…

Now, he knew he was at least a demigod. A true demigod. What was there to learn from this information? He knew there had to be something and he knew the only person who could give it to him was Gaea. For everything that his father supposedly knew, Thor knew Odin didn't know everything and even if the All-Father did, he probably wouldn't tell him until the time was needed. After all, his father had mated with Gaea because he wanted a powerful son, which meant he was more powerful than the regular Asgardian. He always believed Odin was stronger than him, and if that were the case, why would Odin need him aside from his needing an heir? And, again, that went back to why he had wanted to mate with a goddess.

It was confusing and he wondered if he were vain to wonder what his parentage meant in regards to his powers and existence, but he felt that he had a right to know! He had a feeling Gaea could teach him everything he wanted to know and then some.

Sighing briefly, he said aloud, "If you're willing to teaching me, that is."

He was startled when a voice resounded through his room. "I assume that comment was directed towards me."

Thor sprung out of bed and looked around. It was only a few seconds before Gaea appeared before him. She looked over at the closed door before smiling.

"It was directed towards myself," he answered, also looking at the door. He was making sure it was closed, so no one would know she was present. He was sure his father would be mad to know that she was.

"But it was about me," she countered and he did nothing to deny it. In fact, he nodded once and sat back down on the bed.

Gaea moved to stand in front of him and asked, "What are you thinking, my son? What do you want to learn?"

He widened his eyes slightly, surprised that she even needed to ask, but perhaps that's what she was really aiming for: for him to ask. "I want to learn everything there is to know. I want to know who you truly are. I want to know who I truly am. I want to know…why my birth was so important. I want to know why Odin wanted to father a child with you. He wanted a child that was powerful on Asgard and Earth. I know that now…but Asgardians are powerful no matter where they go, so what does his desire mean? How am I different?"

Gaea smiled and sat beside Thor. She patted his hand which was resting on his knee. "Now, you're asking the right questions," she said. "You are powerful, son, because you can do far more than the normal Asgardian. You have the blood of Earth running through your veins."

"The blood of a god?" he questioned with a shake of his head. He wasn't sure if he were legitimately asking or being sarcastic.

"Yes," she answered simply. She glanced around the room once more and asked, "Come back to Midgard with me now? You told your Father that you would. I will tell you more about who you are and…yes, I will teach you all that you need to know."

Staring down at Mjölnir once more, Thor gripped it tightly before nodding. "Let's go," he agreed.

He then stood and looked towards his door once more. He thought about going to Loki's room and getting him. At least he thought that was where his brother had gone, but there was no telling with him. Besides, Thor knew Loki could follow him later if he wanted to, so there was no need in tracking him down. He shook my head, went to his desk, and pulled out some paper. On it, he wrote, " _Gone to Midgard. See you soon._ " He left it for whoever would find it, whether it was his father, Loki, or his friends, so that's why he didn't address it to anyone in particular.

Looking back at Gaea, he stepped to her side and grabbed her hand when she extended it to him. A sudden light surrounded them and within seconds they were back inside Gaea's home. " _My second home_ ," he thought.

Now that he had time to think and accept things, he was looking at it in a whole different light, but before he got too comfortable with the idea, he looked at Gaea warily. His father's warnings still plagued his mind. He still had to be cautious.


	21. Chapter 21

The Truth About Lies Chapter 21

Thor walked beside Gaea quietly. She was leading him somewhere; he had no idea where. When she suddenly turned to the left, he followed her into a huge dining room which was similar to the one in the Asgardian palace. It had plenty of room for numerous guests. Looking back at his mother, he knew she must have her other children over often.

A sudden feeling of—was it jealousy or maybe sadness?—came over him. It was obvious his mother had a loving relationship with the rest of her offspring. He almost resented that she gave him up and it seemed without much of a fight. Looking around the room, he realized things didn't seem so bad here. She said he would be safer in Asgard—that's why she gave him up. Safer from what?

Before he could contemplate that question, he was startled from his reverie by a loud voice yelling, "LITTLE BROTHER!"

Stepping around a large pillar which blocked his view of only a small portion of the room, he saw Oceanus sitting across the room at a table. He was eating dinner and there was another plate across from him with no one else around. His stomach growled loudly when he realized he hadn't eaten since the early morning hours. So much had happened since then…

"Oceanus," Thor greeted. He started to walk towards him when Gaea grabbed one of his wrists. He turned back questioningly and she smiled at him, almost sadly.

"I won't be joining you for dinner. I need to prepare for an arrival," she told him as she rolled her eyes as if she were annoyed.

"Whose arrival?" he asked, curiously.

The smile morphed into one that was obviously forced. "We'll talk about that in the morning. I don't have time now. Oceanus will stay with you until nightfall and then he'll show you back to your room. We don't have a lot of time."

When she turned around abruptly and walked out hurriedly, Thor looked back at Oceanus determinedly. He strove over to him and asked, "Where is Gaea going? She said she had to prepare for someone's arrival?"

Oceanus' eyes immediately lowered menacingly. "Yes, she does that every night." He could hear the hate dripping from his brother's words.

He sat down at the table in front of him. He looked down at the food—from the looks of it, it was wild boar with various side dishes, some of which he couldn't name—wishing he could eat it right away, but right now, concern was overwhelming him. "Why? Who visits every night?"

Oceanus leaned forward and whispered, "Uranus."

"Uranus?" he questioned aloud.

"Shhh!" Oceanus snapped as he looked out a window. He sighed then and said, "It's still daytime, so we're okay. I just don't want to draw his attention to us so soon. I'm sure Mother wants to keep the fact that you're here a secret for as long as possible."

Thor looked back towards the door and asked, "Who is he? Gaea didn't seem to like that he was coming and you…act almost as if you're scared?"

Oceanus immediately scoffed. "Scared? Me? No, little brother, I'm not scared. In fact, none of us are, but we've been training and preparing. We have a plan to get rid of him once and for all. And, as for who he is, he's our father…well, not _your_ father but mine, as well as the others'."

Thor widened his eyes. "And, you want to get rid of him?" He was genuinely surprised.

Oceanus nodded and looked back out the window. "He hurts Mother."

"What?" Thor stood abruptly and asked loudly, "And, you just put up with it? Who is he to do this? How is he even able?"

Oceanus shook his head almost irritably. "Sit down, little brother. Just listen, okay. You don't understand. Uranus, he was born from Aether, so he is also a god, like Mother."

"And, is he more powerful?"

He smiled. "No, but Mother doesn't want to kill him. He is the father of her children, after all."

Once again, Thor widened his eyes in disbelief. "But he hits her?!" He was outraged!

"No," he said with another shake of his head. "He doesn't."

"But you said…"

"Uranus hates us. He hates all the children he's had with Gaea and recently, he's gotten in the habit of—how do I put this?—burying our younger siblings in Tartarus."

"Tartarus?" Thor questioned.

Oceanus suddenly smiled and said, "Yes, Mother is going to have to spend some time with you. You should know our planet as well as you know Asgard."

He nodded suddenly and replied, "I will learn, but tell me…Tartarus?"

"It's a pit deep within the Earth. _That_ is what causes Gaea pain, literally and figuratively, that he's throwing her children in there."

Thor sat back in his seat as he contemplated Oceanus' words. He brought a hand to his mouth as he propped his arm up with his elbow on the arm of his chair. His father's warnings were now circling around in his mind again. Was _this_ the reason why Gaea had him? To fight her husband? Consort? Whatever he was? If so, she waited around for a long time. That almost seemed improbable. Then, a thought hit him. "Wait!" He sat forward and glared at Oceanus. "If Uranus is throwing Gaea's younger children in Tartarus, why isn't Cronus there?"

Oceanus smiled and said, "He's the youngest of the Titans, not the youngest of Gaea's children. _You_ are the youngest, but thankfully, he had no reason to go after you since you were in Asgard."

Thor let those words settle in his mind for a moment. So, maybe Uranus was the reason she gave him up, after all! Pursing his lips together, determined, he asked, "So, what's the plan?" Thor finally picked up a fork and shoved some of the boar into his mouth. His stomach had shot a sharp pain throughout his torso, demanding food.

Oceanus shook his head and replied, "Mother doesn't want you involved in this. She knows what Odin has been telling you. This whole affair would be the very thing Odin would use to prove that he's supposedly right. Besides, Cronus and I…we have things well under control. You'll see."

Thor scooped some of one of the side dishes into his mouth and ate it. He looked down at the plate and pointed at what he had just eaten. "This is really good. I like it. What is it?"

"Peas," Oceanus said with a smile, clearly amused.

Thor ate a little more and announced loudly, "I _want_ to know your plan. I know Gaea doesn't want me involved in this, so it doesn't matter what my father says or thinks on the subject. I'll know the truth."

Oceanus' smile spread into a grin and said, "Well, I can't really argue with that, can I? Fine, I'll tell you, even though we probably won't let you get involved. You see, Mother has decided she's had enough of Uranus and his actions, so…"

The sudden sound of the dining room doors slamming open loudly interrupted their discussion. Both Thor and Oceanus stood abruptly, but the former relaxed when he saw who stood there.

"Thought you could leave me, brother?" Loki asked sarcastically. He then glared at Oceanus, who was glaring right back.

Thor sighed and shook his head as he sat back down. "Not at all, Loki. I left a note to tell you were I was. I knew you could follow if you so wished."

Loki walked towards them and went to Thor's side of the table. He smiled at Oceanus before he grabbed a fork and started eating off of Thor's plate.

Oceanus' eyes narrowed even more as he folded his arms and said loudly, "You can have your own plate. I can call…"

Loki smirked and interrupted, "I prefer Thor's."

Thor shook his head with a roll of his eyes but was soon surprised when he heard Oceanus' reply. "Yes, I can see that. You do seem to want everything Thor has, don't you? Jealousy, perhaps?"

Instantly, Loki jumped to his feet and Thor did, as well. "Brother!" Thor exclaimed as he grabbed Loki to hold him back from whatever he might do. "Just drop it, okay? Let it go. He doesn't know us." He then turned to Oceanus and said firmly, "Do not speak to my brother like that again. If I have a problem with what he's doing, I'll take care of it."

Oceanus arched an eyebrow and lifted his hands in acquiescence. "Fine. My apologies."

When Loki sat back down, Oceanus smirked at him but then turned his attention back to Thor. "In light of the new arrival, I think we'll finish our discussion later." He started to finish the last bit of food on his plate, but Thor insisted.

"No, Loki can hear. If anything, he could help us."

Loki turned to look at his brother, leaned in, and whispered, "Are they already wanting favors, brother?"

Thor shook his head at him and then looked back at Oceanus.

The Titan stared at Loki, almost as if he were assessing his worth as his eyes roamed over Loki's body. He then let out of a puff of air and said, "I don't see how someone so small could possibly help. Besides…"

Thor shook his head determinedly and said, "You might be surprised."

Loki wrinkled his nose in hatred and said, "Oh, trust me, he will be soon enough."

Before his brother could say anything more which would obviously turn into a threat for his older brother, he demanded, "Tell us."

The Titan looked back and forth between them for several seconds and then looked out the window. The sky was getting a little darker, but it still wasn't nightfall. Thor knew Oceanus realized they didn't have a lot of time to argue about this if he was going to tell them anything. So, he wasn't surprised when Oceanus suddenly leaned forward and whispered, "Mother is making a special sickle. She is going to give it to us to use against Uranus. We are going to make sure he can never bury another one of our siblings. Also, he won't dare come back to Mother…"

Thor and Loki looked at each other. When Thor turned back to Oceanus, his brother smiled and said, "Mother should be the one who tells you more if she wants you to know." He suddenly stood and announced, "I should really get you to your room, so Uranus doesn't see either one of you." He then looked at Loki and told him, "I'm actually glad you're here. With Uranus here, it would be better for Thor to have an _outsider_ with him."

Loki gritted his teeth and Thor could tell he was about to spout insults at the Titan, but Thor leaned over and whispered, "He means someone that is not a child of Gaea."

Loki turned to him and said loudly, "I know when someone is trying to upset me, Thor. I am going to have so much fun with this one when the time comes."

"Brother," Thor hissed, "you promised to try to get along."

Loki smirked. "I did nothing of the sort. Besides, I am not the one being antagonistic, here." He smiled at Oceanus and asked, "Am I?"

Oceanus was no longer grinning. He simply walked away and said, "Bring your food. I know you're still hungry, but I want to get you back to your room with time to spare."

Thor grabbed his plate and goblet as Loki glared at Oceanus' back. When Thor stood beside him, Loki mumbled, "I don't think we should trust him."

Thor upturned his lips slightly. He knew why Loki was saying those words, even though his brother would never admit it. Still, he kept up their usual banter and didn't address the deeper reasons behind Loki's words. "You don't trust anyone, brother."


	22. Chapter 22

The Truth About Lies Chapter 22

Thor stood in his bedroom and paced restlessly as the sun went down.

"Thor," Loki called out as he sat down on the couch and followed his brother's movements with his eyes and head, "walking a hole in the floor isn't very productive, you know."

Thor stopped moving and turned to Loki. He glanced at the door and explained his actions. "I'm worried."

"That much is obvious. Why? I don't know. Thor, your mother is a goddess. She can take care of herself, and supposedly, she deals with this Uranus character every night, so she'll be fine in the morning."

Thor shook his head and gritted his teeth as he let out a low growl of sorts. He started pacing again and said, "I know Gaea can handle herself, but I don't want anyone hurting her. She's my…" He paused again and turned to face Loki. His eyes widened and continued almost as if he were in awe, "…she's my mother."

Loki smirked a little at his expression and commented, "I know you haven't just figured that out, Thor. You've known for a while now. Why the shock?"

Thor walked over to the couch and sat beside him. He turned his eyes to the floor and mumbled, "I miss Mother. I didn't spend as much time with her as I liked. I was always too busy with quests and protecting Asgard. I was fulfilling the role that Father wanted me to as Asgard's future king." He met Loki's gaze. "Gaea will never replace Mother, but she is my mother, too. I have a chance with her that I can't have with Frigga…and I have a feeling if I let things play out without my interference this Uranus could take it away."

Loki raised an eyebrow and said, "So, what are you saying?"

Thor stood up abruptly and announced, "I'm tired of waiting! I want to see this Uranus. Oceanus doesn't want to tell me the whole story, so I'll find out for myself!"

He starts to march for the door, but Loki calls out, "Uh, brother, remember what Oceanus said earlier. Gaea doesn't want Uranus to know that you're here, yet. Undoubtedly, he's not going to take your presence lightly."

"And, he shouldn't," Thor replied menacingly. He stretched his arm out and Mjolnir flew to him.

Loki immediately sighed and started dusting himself off even though nothing was there. "All right. All right. Let's go see Uranus, but can we do it my way?" When Thor arched an eyebrow, he whispered, "They'll never see us."

=)=)=)

Thor and Loki walked down the hall hurriedly, trying to find where Gaea might be. Thor walked a little ahead of his brother and said, "They might be in her study or perhaps her bedroom. I think I remember where her study is. As for her bedroom, I have no idea."

Loki suddenly rushed to his side and snapped softly, "Could you be any louder? Stomping down the hall and talking aloud is _really_ the way to sneak up on people! Really, brother!"

Thor suddenly put his hand over Loki's mouth and replied almost in amusement, "Yeah, well, you're not doing much better. And, are we invisible? I see you."

When Thor removed his hand, he responded, "Yes, we are. I had a feeling with you if I didn't allow us to see each other, you'd walk all over me with your incredibly large…"

"Shhh!" Thor said as he saw Oceanus creep out of his bedroom slowly and then turn left. He smiled at Loki and said, "We might not be the only ones who want to spy. Come on!"

Thor now walked as carefully as he could several feet behind Oceanus and followed him to what they knew was Gaea's study. The door wasn't cracked open, but you could still hear voices from within:

"Gaea, this is not negotiable! You know the prophecy and I will not stand for it! It _will not_ happen! Do you understand me?" The man's voice was deep, almost a growl as he spoke, and he sounded angry. His voice fairly shook the room and the hallway. Thor was shocked.

Gaea also sounded angry, but Thor had heard her like this before talking to his own father, so he wasn't surprised at the level of hostility that was evident. "They are your children, Uranus! I am tired of them hurting! I'm tired of hurting! I've lost too many because of this! I even lost the opportunity to raise a son because of this!"

A loud groan was heard and Uranus practically hissed, "We're not going to talk about Thor again, are we?" A crash of some sort was heard and just as Thor was about to rush forward to help, Oceanus did it for him—he smashed the door open and ran inside. Thor and Loki followed to see a table broken in half, lying on the floor. Gaea was unharmed but looked annoyed. As for Uranus, he was big—taller than Oceanus with long brown wavy hair that went about to his shoulders and his scowl made him look more fierce. He was wearing an off white tunic that stopped at his knees and golden belts, wrist guards, etc.

"Ah, Oceanus!" Uranus said unsurprised. "There you are, finally." He started making his way towards his son.

Gaea ran in front of Uranus and blocked his advancement. "You promised you'd leave _him_ alone!"

Uranus smirked and said, "Yes, well, you know how long promises are kept around here." He looked Gaea up and down as if he were mocking her.

Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir as he held it up. If he came close to Oceanus, he would use it.

"Brother, let's just stay calm for right now," Loki whispered in his ear.

Uranus' eyes left Gaea and looked back at Oceanus. He assessed him carefully and commented, "You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you. I'd be proud if I didn't hate you and your siblings so much."

Thor winced as these words left Uranus' mouth. He couldn't even fathom Odin saying something like that to him regardless of the hard time they were having right now. He looked at Oceanus, expecting to see the Titan with a hurt expression, but instead his brother stood there unwaveringly. He was shocked when Oceanus' reply was a sarcastic, "Gee, Dad, thanks. It means a lot." He winked at Gaea, who turned briefly to look at him, and then continued, "By the way, the feeling is mutual!"

Uranus actually snarled and tried to step closer, but Gaea put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. She snapped, "I will fight you if you continue! Don't make any mistakes!"

Uranus lifted an eyebrow and smiled a little. "His time is coming, Gaea. You're only delaying it," he replied, but he waved his hand lazily at Oceanus and said, "You can leave, Little One. I'll let you live for now. I won't send you to Tartarus in front of your mother."

"Such generosity," quipped Oceanus, but Uranus held his palm up and suddenly the Titan was flying back out of the room. Thor and Loki had to spring out of the way as he zoomed by and the door suddenly shut and locked. When they both landed on the ground, Thor noticed Gaea widen her eyes for a moment and then squint as she searched the room. When her eyes reached Thor and Loki's location, she smiled a little and shook her head once ever so slightly.

Slowly, so they wouldn't make a sound, Thor and Loki got up and stepped closer to Gaea. Her eyes clearly followed them now before she stepped in front of them and turned to Uranus. "Thank you for not attacking my son, and I beseech you not to do it in the future. Have you ever stopped to consider, Uranus, that your actions are what brings about the events of the prophecy? Did you?"

Uranus merely smiles for a moment and then replies, "I know your tricks, wife. I know them well. I've been with you longer than any other companion you've ever had. You want me to stop attacking them, so they'll gather more confidence and actually attack me unexpectedly. It's not going to happen." He walks away towards the door and announces, "I'm going to _our_ bedroom."

When the door slams shut, Loki drops the illusion and Gaea immediately turns to Thor. " _What_ are you doing here, my son? You could have gotten yourself hurt or killed! Uranus can look through magic, too, if he had decided to. This was not a wise decision!"

Loki sighed and replied, "Relax. He didn't see us, so everything's fine."

Thor didn't enter the conversation. He merely stared at the door and then asked, "Why do you put up with him? Oceanus told me he's hurting you and sending your children to Tartarus! Surely, you have the power to stop him."

Gaea looked down for a moment and said, "You would think so, but I'm not the one destined to stop him. I may be a goddess, as you say, but some things are handled by fate. If I could change it, believe me, Uranus wouldn't have hurt any of my children." She raised her hand to his face. "And, I would have kept you, but destiny finds a way and when you try to alter it, things get worse instead of better."

Thor gripped his hammer and asked, "What is this prophecy? It seems that he knows it, too, and he's trying to prevent it from happening."

"He is," Gaea said, shaking his head. "He knows better than that, though. Things would go so much smoother and not be as painful if he'd just accept things, but I suppose his stubbornness is what drew me to him in the first place…much like your father."

Thor wrinkled his face and Gaea immediately laughed. Thor imagined he must look like a little kid wrinkling his face in disgust when a parent tells his or her son about past…loves. He wiped all expression from his face and asked again, "The prophecy, Gaea? What is it?"

She shook her head and replied, "It's best if you don't know. I don't want you to be tempted to change things. I want things to happen naturally for you, so that you will have the easiest path possible."

Thor shook his head and said, "I know you want to protect me, but I _want_ to help, Gaea. My brothers and sisters are coming up with a plan to defeat Uranus and something tells me he is a lot tougher to beat than he looks right now." Gaea lifted her brow and nodded in confirmation. "I want to be part of this. I won't take 'no' for an answer."

Gaea stared at Thor and then Loki. It seemed like she was deep in thought, but then she suddenly raised her hands and there was a bright flash. When Thor could see again, he could see they were in a field outside. She smiled and said, "Earlier I told you that you have the power of a god running through your veins. I think if you're going to help, it's time you learned what that means…at least, a little for right now." She winked and then smiled at Loki once before walking away.

Thor made to follow her, but she put a hand up as she turned around again to face him. "Put Mjolnir down, Thor. You don't need it."

=)=)=)


End file.
